COLONIAL  VIRGINIA 
ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 


THIS  LI  M  in:  J)  IJJITIOS  HAS  BEES  PRIST  ED 
FliOM  TYPE  ASD  THE  TYPE  DISTRIBUTED 


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^-^^^-^-.--^-^^'^---.-'^ 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA 

ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 


BY 


MARY  NEWTON  STANARD 

AUTHOR    OF    "the   DREAMER THE    LIFE-STORT    OF    EDQAR   ALLAN   FOB  " 

AND    "the   STORT   OF   BACON's   REBELLION" 


WITH  93  ILLUSTRATIONS 


.4^^^      "^/ 


PHILADELPHIA  AND  LONDON 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 

1917 


COPYRIGHT.  1017.  HY  J.  H.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 


PUBLISHED  OCTOBER.    1917 


PRINTJ:D  IIV  J.  B.  UPPINCOTT  COMPANY 

AT  THE  WA.><IIINOTON  SQUAIUC  PRESS 

PHILADELPHIA.  U.S.A. 


TO 
W.  G.  S. 


8 


rot  is 


PREFACE 


£>  0\V  may  we  call  to  life  the  everyday 
men  and  women  of  other  times,  obtain 
glimpses  of  them  in  their  homes,  go- 
ing about  their  business  or  pursuing 
pleasure,  know  them  as  they  were 
known  to  their  families  and  neigh- 
bors? Not  by  reading  history.  His- 
tory records  events  and  names  a  few  of  those  who  figured 
in  Ihem,  but  no  matter  how  ingeniously  the  string  is  pulled 
these  generally  seem  more  like  puppets  than  people — to  be 
made  of  bronze  or  marble  rather  than  flesh  and  blood.  A 
gossipy  letter,  though  crumbling  and  yellow,  telling  what 
company  the  writer  had  for  dinner  and  what  there  was  to 
eat,  the  jokes  that  were  cracked  and  healths  drunk;  a  frag- 
ment of  a  diary  giving  the  neighborhood  news,  the  condition 
of  the  crops  or  the  latest  political  excitement;  a  tailor's 
or  a  milliner's  bill;  a  will;  an  inventory;  a  court  record  of 
a  lawsuit  or  a  trial,  will  make  a  bygone  day  more  real 
than  volumes  of  history. 

Notwithstanding  the  lamentable  destruction  of  early 
records — all  of  those  of  a  number  of  counties  having  been 
lost — Virginia  is  rich  in  this  graphic  kind  of  material. 
Much  of  it  is  preserved  in  still  existing  colonial  county 
records,  in  files  of  that  quaint  newspaper.  The  Virginia 
Gazette,  in  collections  of  family  papers,  in  old  pamphlets, 
in  privately  published  and  other  books  most  of  which  are 
now  out  of  print,  and  in  journals  like  the  Virginia  Maga- 
zine of  History  and  Biography  and  the  William  and  Mary 
College  Quarterly  Magazine.  But  these  scattered  sources 
of  information  are  inaccessible  to  the  general  reader — the 
existence  of  many  of  them  is  known  only  to  a  few  special 
students — and  no  attempt  has  hitherto  been  made  to  gather 

vii 


i'Ki:fa(  E 

>vliat  is  most  illustrative  IVoiii  them  all  into  one  volume, 
with  the  j)urpose  of  giving  a  picture,  or  series  of  pictures, 
of  life  in  the  colony  from  its  settlement  to  tlie  Revolution. 

This  is  a  tremendous— a  daring — task,  of  course,  like 
attempting  to  make  a  few  drops  of  water  illustrate  the 
character  of  the  ocean,  and  has  necessitated  careful  selec- 
tion of  the  salient  and  elimination  of  every  item  that  could 
\)€  spared;  indeed,  many  items  as  interesting  as  those  which 
have  heen  used  have  !)een  rejected  only  hecause  they  would 
have  heen  duplications.  For  instance,  it  has  heen  impos- 
sihle  to  name  all  the  owners  of  Turkey- work  chairs,  silver 
tankards,  great  looking-glasses  and  coaches-and-six,  all 
the  wearers  of  silvcr-hilted  swords  and  gold-laced  hats;  all 
who  sent  their  sons  ahroad  to  ])c  educated  or  who  be- 
(jueathed  ])r()])erty  for  the  henetit  of  the  poor  or  the  estab- 
lishment of  free  schools;  all  the  owners  of  a  "parcel" — 
meaning  a  collection — of  books,  or  of  fine  libraries,  even. 
And  so  in  each  case  a  sufficient  numlRr  of  examples  to  indi- 
cate the  whole  has  heen  given. 

I  have  taken  my  data  first  hand  from  original  manu- 
scripts or  printed  copies  of  them  to  be  found  in  the  j^ubli- 
cations  referred  to.  In  the  very  few  exceptions  to  this  rule 
credit  to  the  writer  to  whom  I  am  indebted  has  been  iriven. 

In  my  endeavor  to  give  a  true  presentation  of  life  in 
th<:^colonv  to  deliver  a  "round,  unvarnished  tale" — I 
have  had  the  incalculable  advantage  of  the  advice  and 
gm'danee  of  my  hus))and,  \\'illiam  (i.  Stanard,  Secretary 
of  the  \'irginia  Historical  Society  and  Kditor  of  the  T/r- 
;/ini(i  Mof/tninv  of  IIi,stari/  and  li'mgraplnj,  who  has  aided 
\\\c  at  ever\'  .step  of  my  laborious,  though  fascinating, 
rcseareli.  and  has  placed  .-it  my  disposal  his  own  great  mass 
of  notes  from  county  and  other  records  and  his  knowledo-e 


PREFACE 


of  the  Virginia  people  acquired  by  life-long  study.  I  am 
especially  indebted  to  hini  for  information  and  counsel 
in  the  treatment  of  the  Later  Emigrants. 

In  the  list  of  illustrations,  acknowledgment  has  been 
made  to  those  who  have  kindly  permitted  the  use  of  pic- 
tures, but  I  desire  in  addition  to  thank  them  most  cordially 
for  this  courtesy. 

M.  X.  S. 

Richmond,  Virginia 

July  24,  1917 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 15 

I. — The  Founders  of  the  Colony 
II. — The  Later  Emigrants 

II.     HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  MANSION 55 

III.  HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 77 

I. — Furniture 
II. — Pl.\te 

IV.  SOCIAL  LIFE 102 

I. — The  Home 
II. — Hospitality 
III. — Festivities 
IV. — Gaming,  Taverns.  Fairs,  Etc. 

V.    COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 166 

_0h  DRESS ^  .    .  186 

'^^^^  I. — Jewels 

\U.     VIRGINIA  AND  ENGLAND 213 

\TII.     THE  THEATRE 229^ 

IX.    OUTDOOR  SPORTS 252 

X.     EDUCATION 262  X^ 

I. — Free  Schools 

II. — Private  Schools 
III.— Tutors 
IV. — WitSam  and  Mary  College 

V. — Studying  Abroad 

XI.     BOOKS 295  " 

XII.     MUSIC 308 

XIII.     PICTURES 314 

^xiv/  bet.tgiqm: 320 

XV.    FUNERAL  CUSTOMS 341 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


r.\OE 

Childrex  of  Philip  Gryme3,  of  "Brandon,"  Middlesex  County.     From 

a  portrait  (painted  about  1750)  in  the  collection  of  the  Virj^inia  Historical 

Society Frontispiece 

A  Piece  of  Armor  Dug  up  at  Jamestown.    From  the  original  in  the  collection 

of  the  Virginia  Historical  Society 16 

A  Palisaded  Fort 16 

Captain  John  Smith  and  Opecancanough.    From  Smith's  "History  of  Virginia  "    22 
Typical  English  Homes  of  Many  Virginla  Emigrants 26 

An  Old  London  Street,  1638 

A  Farm  House 

A  Cottage 

A  Village 
Ancestral  Homes  of  Some  Virginia  Families 32 

Chilham  Castle,  Kent — Digges.    From  an  old  engraving 

Leeds  Castle,  Kent — Lord  Fairfax.    From  an  old  engraving 
Ancestr.u.  Homes  of  Some  Virginia  Families 36 

"Barlbrough  Hall,"  Derbyshire — Rodes,  Baronets.  From  "A  Quaker 
Post-bag"  (Mrs.  G.  L.  Lampson).  By  the  courtesy  of  Longmans,  Green 
and  Company 

"Okewell  Hall,"  Yorkshire — Batte.  From  "The  Manor  Houses  of 
England"  (H.  H.Ditchfield).   By  the  courtesy  of  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 

Thomas,  Sixth  Lord  Fairfax 42 

Sir  Thomas  Lunsford.    From  a  print  in  the  British  Museum 46 

Some  Founders  of    Virginia   Families 52 

Robert  Bollixg,  Formerly  of  the  City  of  London.    From  a  portrait 

owned  by  Mr.  Richard  Boiling 52 

Henry  Corbin,  Formerly  of  "Hall  End,"  Warwickshire.  From  a 
photograph  by  Mr.  J.  E.  H.  Post  of  the  portrait  at  "Mt.  Airy."    By 

courtesy  of  Mrs.  Edward  Shippen 52 

A  Log  Cabin 56 

The  Robertson  House,  Chesterfield  County.    Built  about  1750 56 

House  Near  Williamsburg.     A  type  of  the  earliest  brick  dwelling 60 

Interior  at  "  Bloomsbury,"  Orange  County.    Eighteenth  century 60 

"Stratford."    By  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  R.  C.  Ballard  Thruston 65 

Plan  of  "Stratford"  House  and  Grounds.    By  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  R.  C. 

Ballard  Thruston 68 

Box  Maze  in  the  Garden  at  "Tuckahoe" 68 

"Cufford  Chambers,"  Warwickshire.     A  Type  of  the  Engush  Model  of 

"Carter's   Creek."      From   "Highways   and   Byways   in   Shakespeare's 

Country."    By  the  courtesy  of  the  Macmillan  Company 72 

"Carter's  Creek,"  Gloucester  County.    Originally  an  E-shaped  House    72 

"Carter's  Grove,"  James  City  County.    Showing  Terraces 75 

Stairway,  "Westover" 80 

"Elbow"  or  "Roundabout"  Chair  which  Belonged  to  Patrick  Henry  .     84 

xiii 


ILI.rSTRATIONS 


CiiipptNOAi^  Chatb.  From  the  coUortion  of  the  Virpnia  HLstorical  Society  .  .  84 
I)iNtN(:-K(M>M  AT  "Mt.  AutT."    From  a  photoprnph  by  Mr.  J.  E.  H.  Post.    By 

the  courtesy  of  Mrs.  K<lwanl  Shippcn 88 

A  "Gheat  Bed."    By  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  David  I.  Bushnell,  Jr 92 

SouE  or  THE  "Shibixt"  Silver.  By  the  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Alice  Carter  Brans- 
ford  92 

Governor  Spothwood'b  Silver  Tea-Caddt  Be.\rinc.  His  Crest  and  Arms. 

By  the  rourtc.sy  of  the  National  Society  of  Colonial  Dames  in  the  State  of 

Virf^inin 96 

"We-htuveh"  Dck)Rwat.    By  the  courtesy  of  the  Crn/wry  J/ayaziHf 102 

EvELT.v  BtHD.  Fn>in  the  i)<>rtrait  at  "Brandon."  Prince  Georpe  County  .  .  .  lOG 
A  Cc)i/)\iAL  Doll.     By  the  courtesy  of  the  owner,  Mrs.  W.  W.  Richardson, 

"Little  Berkeley."  IIiinij)ton.  Virginia 112 

"Mammy"  uy  the  Kitchen  Fire  at  "Greenspring" 112 

Richard  Lee.    Aboi't  1660.    From  "Lee  of  Virginia."    By  the  courtesy  of  the 

author.  Kdmund  J.  Lee.  M.D 116 

Mrh.  Uk'Iiaui)  Lee.    .Vbovt  1660.    From  " Lee  of  Virginia. "    By  the  courtesy 

of  the  author 122 

The  DiMN(i-R(K>M  at  "Shirley" 126 

Wasiiis(jt»)n'h  Punch  Bowl.     By  the  courtesy  of  the  United  States  National 

.Muteum 132 

A  CoA<il  AND  Six.    From  an  old  engraving 132 

The  Lee  .\rmh.    A  Wood-carving  Formerly  on  the  Front  Door  of  "  Cobbs," 

North CMOERLAND  Cocntt.    From  "Lee  of  Virginia."  By  the  courtesy  of 

the  author 138 

.\kmokial  Tomb  or  Edward  Hilu   at  "Shirley."     By  the  courtesy  of  the 

Crnlury  Magazine 138 

Sir  William  Berkeley.     .Vbodt  1665.     From  a  portrait  in  the  Virginia  State 

Lihrnry 146 

Stairway,  "Tcckahoe" 150 

John  Tayu)E,  2d.     From  a  photograph  by  Mr.  J.  E.  H.  Post,  of  the  portrait 

at  "Mt.  .\iry."     By  tlie  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Edward  Shippcn 156 

Hall  at  "Mt.  Zion."  Warren  Countt.    By  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  R.  C.  Ballard 

Thnwton 162 

CHIMNEY-riK<-E    IN    A    PaNELLED    BeDROOM 162 

Pocahontas.    Fmm  the  original  portrait  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  F.mlyn.  Norfolk. 

England 168 

Sarah  Hahhison.  Wife  or  Doctor  James  Blair.    From  a  portrait  at  William 

anil  Miiry  Colltve       174 

The  Pahi.4>h  at  "Shirley" ISO 

William  Mc^eley.  <>v  Iaiwer  NoRr«>LK  Cocnty.     .\ikht  1640.     From  a  iH>r- 

Irnil  formerly  in  the  collection  «)f  the  late  Burwill  B.  Moseley 186 

Jcii-i  pAur.,  or  Yore  County.    About  16C0.    From  a  portrait  at  William  and 

Mary  College I95J 

xiv 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Elizabktu  Landon,  Second  Wife  of  Robert  ("King")  Carter.    From  the 

portrait  at  "Sabine  Hall" 19(5 

John    Parke   and   Martha   Parke   Custis,    Washington's   Step-children. 

From  a  portrait  at  Washington  and  Lee  University 200 

Martha  Custis's  Watch 204 

EvELTN  Btrd's  Fan.    Preserved  at  "  Brandon " 204 

Mrs.  John  Tayloe  and  Daughter  Mart,   Afterward  Mrs.  Mann  Page. 
.^BOUT  1756.    From  a  photograph  by  Mr.  J.  E.  H.  Post  of  the  portrait  at 

"Mt.  .^iry."    By  the  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Edward  Shippen 208 

Old  London,  the  Mother  of  Virginia.    From  Visscher's  View,  1616.    .    .    .   214 
London  Shop  Bill  for  Richard  Corbin.     From  original  in  the  collection  of 

the  Virginia  Historical  Society 218 

London  Shop  Bill  for  Robert  Carter.    From  original  in  the  collection  of  the 

Virginia  Historical  Society 218 

Colonel   Daniel   Parke,    1704.      From  a  portrait   at   Washington   and   Lee 

University 222 

Austin  Brockenbrough.    From  a  miniature 226 

Advertisement  of  the  Williamsburg  Theatre.    From  the  Virginia  Gazette  .  234 
Mrs.  Lewis  Hallam,   Sr.,   Afterward  Mrs.   Douglas,   as  "Daraxa,"   in 
"Edward  and  Elenora."    From  "Social  Life  in  the  Colonies"  (Edward 
Eggleston).    By  the  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Edward  Eggleston  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth 

Eggleston  Seelye 240 

Lewis  Hallam,  the  Younger.     From  "Social  Life  in  the  Colonies"  (Edward 
Eggleston).    By  the  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Edward  Eggleston  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth 

Eggleston  Seelye 246 

Entrance  to  the  Stagg  House,  Williamsburg 246 

John  Batlor  of  New  Market.     From  a  portrait  painted  about  1721  when 
he  was  at  Putney  Grammar  School,  England.    By  the  courtesy  of  Captain 

James  B.  Baylor 252 

An  Old  Virginia  Race  Horse 258 

Lord  Fairfax's  Riding  Boots.    From  the  collection  in  the  Virginia  Historical 

Society 258 

William  and  Mart  College  (Second  Building),  1724-1859.     From  an  old 

painting 264 

William  Byrd,  2d.    From  the  portrait  at  "Brandon" 270 

Ralph  Wormeley,  of    "Rosegill,"    Virginia,  and    of    Trinity    College, 

Cambridge.    By  the  courtesy  of  Harper's  Magazine 276 

John  Baylor,  Jr.,  of  "New  Market,"  Virginia,  and  of  Caius  College,  Cam- 
bridge.   By  the  courtesy  of  Captain  James  B.  Baylor 283 

Thomas  Nelson,  Signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  When  a  Boy 
at    Hackney  School,  England.   From  a  portrait  by  Chamberlin,  London, 

1754 290 

Colonial  Bible  Owned  by  Mary  Newton  Stanard 296 

Fly-leaf  of  this  Bible  Showing  Owners  for  Five  Generations 296 

XV 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Some   V'liiniMA    IWhik-pi^teh SOi 

George  Washington 

WiLUAM  Stitii 

Ralph  Woiimelet 

Philip  Lidwell 
RoBEHT  (AnTKH,  OK  "NoMiNi  IIall."    From  a  photograph  made  at  "Oatiands," 

\  irfs'iiiin.  <>f  Ihr  portniil  l)y  Uoynolds 308 

A  Laot  Of  THE  MosELEY  Family.    From  a  portrait  hrought  to  Virginia  in  1649  314 

William  Hyki).   Iht.     From  a  jxjrlrnit  hronglit  from  Kngland 318 

A  Seventeenth  Centiby  fiitRcH — St.  Lire's,  Isle  of  Wight  Couxtt.     By 

the  courtcay  of  Mi.sa  Mary  L.  Garland 344 

An  Kighteentii  Centubt  Chcbch — St.  Paul's,  Kino  George  Countt.   .    .   324 
Interior    or    Christ    Church,    Middlesex.      By  the  courtesy  of  Harper's 

Magazine 330 

The  Oloe-st  .Vmerica-n  CoMJirNioN  SEB\ncE,  St.  John's  Church,  H.vmpton, 

Virginia S30 

Plan  ok  Poiiick  Church,  Fairkax.     From  "The  History-  of  Truro  Parish." 

By  the  courtrsy  «)f  Ilev.  E.  L.  GcKwlwin 334 

Quaker   Meetinc;    Housf^   Cedar   Creek,    Hanover   County,    Built   1770. 

From  "Our  (iiiakor  Friend.s."    By  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  R.  O.  Bell 338 

Old  Stone  Church.  Pre.suytebian,  Augusta  County 338 

Burwell  Tombs  at  .Vbinodon  Church,  Gloucesteb.    Removed  from  "Car- 
ter's Creek"    346 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA 
ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


I— THE  FOUNDERS  OF  THE  COLONY 

tHREE  HUNDRED  years  ago,  as 
every  school  child  knows,  European 
civilization  was  already  compara- 
tively ripe.  England  had  her  great 
churches,  her  palaces,  her  univer- 
sities, and  had  enjoyed  golden  ages 
of  chivalry  and  of  letters.  But 
America  was  still  a  wilderness — its 
only  roads  the  trail  of  the  Indian,  the  track  of  the  deer, 
the  bear  or  other  wild  creature,  its  only  sign  of  human 
habitation  clusters  of  bark  huts  and  such  patches  of  corn, 
beans,  and  tobacco  as  savages  were  able  to  cultivate  by 
scratching  the  ground  with  the  most  primitive  implements 
of  wood  and  stone. 

What  manner  of  men  were  the  emigrants  from  that 
old  w^orld  to  this  new  one  who  made  the  beginnings  of 
the  change  which  in  three  centuries  has  become  a  trans- 
formation? 

We  know  that,  charmed  with  travellers'  tales  of  an  El 
Dorado,  or  aflame  with  the  spirit  of  adventure,  or  with  zeal 
to  add  to  their  king's  earthly  dominions  and  win  a  heathen 
people  for  a  heavenly  one,  and  with  an  eager  curiosity  hard 
for  a  blase  age  like  ours  to  comprehend,  these  men  left 
their  familiar  haunts,  their  more  or  less  comfortable  fire- 
sides, their  friends  and  relatives  and  the  women  they  loved. 
Crowded  into  toy  ships  in  which  they  endured  indescribable 
miseries  and  were  over  and  over  again  swept  far  out  of 
their  course  by  violent  gales,  they  crossed  three  thousand 
miles  of  ocean  and,  in  spite  of  dangers,  disappointments, 

15 


Cor.ONIAL  MHdIMA,  I  IS  PKOPLE  AM)  (TSTOMS 

illness,  famiiK.',  dcatli,  sowed  here  the  seeds  of  the  white 
man's  civilization — the  white  man's  religion.  Who  were 
they,  and  what  was  their  condition  in  that  distant  land  whose 
FnaniRTs  and  ways  they  transplanted  to  this!' 

'i'hc  (question  is  a  ditlicnlt  one,  fur  the  emigrant  did  not 
concern  himself  ahont  onr  interest  in  him,  or  stop  to  make 
a  family  tree,  though  here  and  there  an  allusion  in  a  will, 
letter,  or  legal  paper  in  Virginia  or  England,  or  a  rare 
reference  in  a  foreign  i)edigree  to  a  memher  of  a  family 
who  had  come  to  ^Vmerica,  gives  us  a  hint  as  to  who  one  of 
them  was  at  home. 

Thanks  to  tlic  lively  "  Historic "  of  Captain  John 
Smith  wc  have  a  c()mj)aratively  complete  record  of  the  little 
hand  of  "  first  })lanters  "  who  came  in  1007  and  the  two 
"  supplies  "  added  to  them  in  1007-08.  These  three  parties 
hrought,  in  all,  ahout  295  persons — the  first  settlers  nmn- 
berirjg  10.),  the  first  "  supply  "  120,  and  the  second  "  sup- 
ply "  ahout  70,  and  Ca])tain  Smith  gives  us  the  names  of 
nearly  all  of  them.  Of  the  whole  numher  ninety-two  are 
described  as  '*  gentlemen,"  forty-five  as  "  laborers,"  four- 
teen as  "  tradesmen,"  seven  as  "  tailors,"  four  as  "  car- 
penters," three  as  "  surgeons,"  two  as  "  apothecaries,"  two 
as  "  goldsmiths,"  two  as  "  refiners,"  two  as  "  blacksmiths," 
a  "  jeweler,"  a  "  perfumer,"  a  "  gunsmith,"  a  "  cooper," 
a  "  sailor,"  a  "  barl)cr,"  a  "  bricklayer,  '  a  "  mason,"  a 
"  drummer,"  a  "  tobacco  pipe-maker,"  six  "  boys,"  eight 
"  Dutchmen  and  l^olcs  "  and  "  some  others,"  including 
two  women. 

The  term  "  gentleman  "  was  a  comprehensive  one  at  the 
time  and  was  applied  to  men  of  widely  varying  social  rank. 
In  Kngland  during  the  later  Tudor  and  early  vStuart 
periods  there  was  general  aspiration  for  heraldic  distinction 

and  it  was  the  fashion  for  successful  men  to  secure  coats- 

ifl 


ARMOR  DUG  UP  AT  JAMESTOWN 


'  Vfcs 


A  PALISADKI)  FORT 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


of-arnis.  Prosperous  merchants  would  buy  land  and  be- 
come country  gentlemen;  men  of  yeoman  origin,  like 
Captain  Smith,  would  become  army  officers  and  be  styled 
"  gentleman  ";  and  of  course  the  landed  families  of  ancient, 
as  well  as  those  of  more  recent,  descent  were  included  in 
the  gentr}\ 

In  regard  to  most  of  our  ninety-two  earliest  of  Vir- 
ginia *'  gentlemen,"  there  is  but  little  known.  Some  of 
them,  like  jMaster  George  Percy,  brother  of  the  Earl  of 
Northumberland,  and  author  of  a  "  Discourse,"  which  is 
one  of  the  valuable  sources  of  information  in  regard  to  the 
first  settlement,  and  Francis  West,  brother  of  Lord  Dela- 
ware, were  younger  sons  of  noblemen.  Others  bore  the 
names  of  good  old  English  families.  Of  these  were  Master 
Edward  Wingfield,  the  colony's  first  President ;  "  worthy 
and  religious"  Captain  Bartholomew  Gosnold;  Captain 
Gabriel  Archer,  the  ready  ^vi'iter,  who,  says  Wingfield, 
"  glorieth  much  in  his  pennworke,"  and  whose  "  True  Re- 
lation "  is  another  illuminating  contribution  to  the  settle- 
ment story;  Harrington,  Throckmorton,  Pennington  and 
Waller.  Some,  like  Captain  Jolm  Martin,  whose  patent 
for  the  plantation  of  "  Brandon,"  later  to  become  widely 
known  as  the  historic  Harrison  seat,  is  still  in  existence, 
were  sons  of  prominent  Londoners ;  but  of  a  larger  number 
we  have  only  names. 

The  embarking  of  so  large  a  proportion  of  "  gentle- 
men "  upon  an  undertaking  which  called  for  the  severest 
manual  labor  has  caused  many  hard  tilings  to  be  said 
about  the  colony.  Captain  Smith — who  was  a  bundle  of 
energy  and  enterprise,  with  no  tolerance  for  men  less  hardy 
tlian  himself — was  their  first  and  harshest  critic. 

True,  it  was  to  search  for  gold,  not  to  cut  down  trees 
and  prepare  the  soil  for  crops,  that  most  of  these  "  gentle- 

17 


(OLOMAL   VIR(;iMA,   ITS   VVA)V\A-:  AND   CUSTOMS 

men  "  came  adventuring  to  Jamestown.  Dreams  of  vast 
(quantities  of  the  preeious  ore  had  come  true  in  countries 
furtlier  soutli,  and  tliey  hoped  to  see  them  come  true  in 
\'ir<|inia.  Vet  when  the  need  arose,  they  did  their  part 
with  the  axe  and  the  lioe,  as  well  as  in  exploring  the  country 
for  food  supplies  and  defending  the  colony  against  the 
Indians.  Of  the  very  heginning  of  the  Jamestown  settle- 
ment it  is  written: 

"  Now  falleth  every  man  to  worke,  the  Councell  con- 
trive the  Fort,  the  rest  cut  down  trees  to  make  place  to 
pitch  their  Tents;  some  provide  claphord  to  relade  the 
ships,  some  make  gardens,  some  nets." 

In  the  year  following,  as  soon  as  the  "  Supply"  arrived, 
Captain  Smith,  who  was  then  the  l*resident,  took  a  party 
of  tliirty  of  them  down  the  river  to  learn  to  make  clap- 
board, cut  down  trees,  and  become  hardened  to  sleeping 
on  the  ground.  Among  those  he  chose  were  Gabriel 
Ik'adles  and  John  Kussell,  described  as  "  the  only  two 
gallants  of  this  last  Supply,  and  both  proper  gentlemen." 
The  quaint  chronicler  adds: 

**  Strange  were  these  pleasures  to  their  conditions;  yet 
IrKlging.  eating  and  drinking,  working  or  playing,  they 
were  hut  doing  as  the  1^-csiiient  did  himself c.  All  these 
things  were  carried  so  pleasantly  as  within  a  weeke  they 
l)ecame  Masters:  making  their  delight  to  heare  the  trees 
thunder  as  they  fell;  but  the  Axes  so  oft  blistered  their 
tender  fingers  that  many  times  every  third  blow  had  a 
loud  othe  to  drowne  the  echo:  for  remedie  of  which  sinne, 
the  President  devised  how  to  have  every  man's  othes  num- 
bered, and  at  night  for  every  othe  to  have  a  cann  of  water 
powred  downe  his  sleeve,  witli  which  every  offender  was 
so  washed  that  a  man  should  scarce  heare  an  othe  in  a 
weeke." 

18 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


It  was  after  nearly  five  months  of  discomfort  and  mis- 
haps at  sea  that,  on  that  memorable  13th  of  May,  1607,  the 
Susaji  Constant,  the  Godspeed^  and  the  Discovery  were 
moored  to  the  trees  in  six  fathom  water  before  what  was 
soon  to  be  Jamestown.  Any  one  who  now  visits  James 
River  in  the  month  of  May,  when  the  temperatm-e  is  balmy 
and  the  wooded  banks  newly  dressed  with  green  and  gar- 
landed with  bloom,  may  readily  imagine  the  delight  of  the 
sea-weary  voyagers  with  the  situation.  A  few  days  after 
the  landing  "  Master  Percy,"  walking  with  several  others 
in  the  woods,  found  "  the  ground  all  flowing  over  with 
faire  flowers  of  sundry  colours  and  kindes,  as  though  it 
had  beene  in  any  Garden  or  Orchard  in  England,"  and 
with  "  Strawberries  and  other  fruits  unknowne."  Walk- 
ing on  through  "  this  Paradise,"  they  came  to  an  Indian 
village  where  they  were  given  berries  to  eat  and  shown 
"  a  Garden  of  Tobacco  and  other  fruits  and  herbes,"  and 
one  of  the  Indians  hospitably  gathered  some  of  the  tobacco 
and  distributed  it  among  them. 

By  June  15  the  triangular  shaped  fort,  with  its  bul- 
warks mounted  with  artillery  at  each  corner,  was  finished, 
and  most  of  their  corn  was  planted.  Thus  fortified — as 
they  supposed — against  the  Indians  and  hunger,  Percy 
complacently  remarks: 

"  This  is  a  fruitful  soil,  bearing  many  goodly  and 
fruitful  trees." 

But  conditions  were  not  so  favorable  as  they  seemed, 
and  soon  enough  this  enthusiastic  sounder  of  Virginia's 
praise  was  to  tune  his  pipe  to  a  different  key.  On  June  22 
Captain  Christopher  Newport,  admiral  of  the  little  fleet 
that  brought  the  settlers  over,  sailed  for  England,  "  leaving 
us,"  says  Percy,  "  one  hundred  and  foure  persons  verie 
bare  and  scantie  of  victualls;  furthermore,  in  warres  and 
in  danger  of  the  Savages." 

19 


COLONIAL   VIR(;iNL\,   ITS   PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

With  the  departure  of  the  ship  on  whose  stores  they 
had  depended  "  there  remained  neither  taverne,  beere  house, 
nor  place  of  reliefe,  but  the  common  Kettell,"  which — 
eciually  distributed — })r<)vided  "  halfe  a  pint  of  wheat,  and 
as  niucli  barley  boyled  with  water  for  a  man  a  day." 

Says  Thomas  Studley,  another  of  the  "  gentlemen  " 
whose  observations  had  been  preserved  by  Captain  Smith: 
"  Had  we  beene  as  free  from  all  sinnes  as  gluttony  and 
drunkennesse,  we  might  have  beene  canonized  for  Saints. 
.  .  .  Our  drinke  was  water,  our  lodgings  Castles  in  the 
ayre." 

And  so,  for  all  the  fairness  and  fruitfulness  of  the 
country,  therejwasjQoJ)re5^1,  and±bey_SQoii  found  that  with 
water  all  around  there  was  not  a  drop  that  was  fit  to  drink. 
As  tlie  sj)ring  mildness  gave  w^ay  to  fierce^iaimmer  heai 
to  which  their  bodies  were  not  "  seasoned,"  they  were  to 
nTJTkc-Ttnnther  discovery^  AH  unseen,  there  lurked  in  that 
"paradise  "  a  foe  mofe  deadly  than  the  Indians  were  soon 
to  prove.  Not  only  were  there  trees  and  fruits  "  un- 
knowne  "  to  the  Knglish  emigrant,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Jamestown,  but,  invisible  and  imdreamed  of,  millions  of 
malaria  germs  flourished  in  the  undrained  swamps — and 
there  was  no  (juinine  and  little  medicine  of  any  kind. 

Dysentery  laid  them  low.  The  grim  twins,  Ague  and 
Fever,  fell  upon  them,  setting  their  teeth  chattering,  their 
limbs  quaking  with  cold,  then  l)urning  and  parching  their 
flesh  with  maddening  heat  and  racking  their  bones  with 
achiFig.  and  finally  leaving  them  weak  of  body  and  will, 
dispirited  and  miserable  and  witliout  nourishment  or  re- 
storatives. The  kind  physician.  Dr.  Thomas  Wotton,  and 
the  godly  minister.  Reverend  Kobert  Hunt,  did  all  in 
their  power  to  relieve  and  comfort  them,  but  their  huts — 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


hastily  put  up  of  green  timber  thatched  with  reeds  from 
the  swamps — became  houses  of  torture  and  of  death. 

"God  (being  angrie  with  us),"  says  Captain  Smith, 
"  plagued  us  with  such  famine  and  sicknes  that  the  living 
were  scarce  able  to  bury  the  dead." 

Under  such  conditions  contentment  would  have  been 
impossible  among  any  set  of  men  in  any  part  of  the  world, 
and,  though  the  naive  hmiior  with  which  even  the  most 
dismal  of  their  accounts  is  spiced  indicates  that  the  colonists 
were  well  supplied  with  that  wholesome  preservative,  mu- 
tiny and  discord  were  rife.  They  berated  the  a,uthorities 
in  London  for  sending  them  out  so  poorly  provided,  they 
berated  President  Wingfield  and  the  Council,  they  be- 
rafed"eacli  other. 

The  sturdy  Smith  himself  "  tasted  the  extremity  of  the 
Countrj^'s  sickness,"  but  he  seems  to  have  had  unusual 
recuperative  powers,  for  he  was  soon  up  and  doing  again 
and  chiding  his  enfeebled  and  half-starved  companions  for 
their  idleness.  Of  course  building  and  planting  were 
neglected,  but  the  chroniclers,  though  sufferers  themselves, 
had  not  yet  fulh^  enough  realized  the  debilitating  effects 
of  malaria  to  make  due  allowance,  and  the  colonists  had 
little  sympathy  from  them  or  the  "  adventurers  "  at  home 
who,  in  return  for  what  they  had  spent  in  fitting  them  out, 
were  anxiously  awaiting  a  share  in  the  products  of  so  fruit- 
ful a  region  as  Virginia  was  reported  to  be.  The  wonder 
to-day  is  that  all  effort  was  not  abandoned  and  that  the 
infant  colony  should  have,  even  feebly,  held  on  to  life. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  summer  Master  George  Percy, 
the  late  enthusiastic  stroller  through  a  "  paradise,"  entered 
in  his  note-book  this  pathetically  eloquent  necrology: 

"  The  sixt  of  August  there  died  John  Ashhie,  of  the 
bloudie  Flixe. 

21 


COLONIAL   MHCilNLV,   ITS   PKOPLE   AND   CUSTOMS 

"  The  ninth  day  died  George  Flowre,  of  the  swelling. 

"  The  tenth  day  died  William  Bruster,  Gentleman,  of 
a  wound  given  hy  the  Savages,  and  was  huried  the  eleventh 
day. 

"  The  fourteenth  day  Jerome  Alicock,  Ancient  [En- 
sign], died  of  a  wound.  The  same  day  Francis  Midxdnter 
and  Edward  Moris,  Corj)oi'all,  died  suddenly. 

"  Tlie  Hftccnth  day  there  died  Kdrcard  Broxcuc  and 
Stephen  Gidtliorpe, 

"  The  sixteenth  day  there  died  Thomas  Gower,  Gentle- 
man. 

"  The  seventeenth  day  there  died  Thomas  ?founslic. 

"  Tlie  ei<.^hteenth  day  there  died  Robert  Pennington 
and  John  Mart  inc.  (ientlemen. 

**  The  nineteenth  day  died  Drue  Piggase,  Gentleman. 

"  The  two  and  twentieth  day  of  August  there  died 
Captainc  liartJiolomcxc  Gosnold,  one  of  our  CounccU:  he 
was  h()nour.'il)ly  huried,  haviiig  all  the  Ordnance  in  the 
Fort  shot  (iir,  with  many  vollies  of  small  shot. 

"  The  foure  and  twentieth  day  died  Edward  Harring- 
ton and  George  Walker;  and  were  hurled  the  same  day. 

"  Tlie  sixe  and  twentieth  day  died  Kenelme  Throg- 
m  or  tine. 

*'  The  seven  and  twentieth  day  died  William  Poods. 

"  The  eight  and  twentieth  day  died  Thomas  Stoodie, 
Cape  ^rerchnnt. 

"  The  fourth  day  of  September  died  Thomas  Jacob, 
Sergeant. 

"  The  fifth  day  tliere  died  Benjamin  Beast. 

"  Our  men  were  destroyed  with  cruel!  diseases  .  .  . 
and  by  warres.  and  some  departed  suddenly:  but  for  the 
most  part  they  died  of  meere  famine." 

Master  Percy  adds:    "  There  were  never  Englishmen 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


left  ill  a  forreigne  Countrey  in  such  miserie  as  wee  were  in 
this  new  discovered  Virginia.  Wee  watched  every  three 
nights,  lying  on  the  hare  cold  groimd  what  weather  soever 
came;  warded  all  the  next  day:  which  hrought  our  men  to 
be  most  feeble  wretches.  Our  food  was  but  a  small  Can 
of  Barlie  sod  in  water  to  five  men  a  day.  Oui'  drinke,  cold 
water  taken  out  of  the  River  which  was  at  a  fioud  verie 
salt;  at  a  low  tide  full  of  slime  and  filth." 

The  sick  and  dying  men  "  night  and  day  groaning  in 
every  corner  of  the  fort "  were  "  most  pitifull  to  heare." 
Sometimes,  continues  the  ghastly  record,  those  "  departing 
out  of  the  World  "  were  as  many  as  "  three  or  foure  in  a 
night,"  and  in  the  morning  their  bodies  were  "  trailed  out 
of  their  Cabines  like  Dogges,  to  be  buried." 

"  From  INIay  to  September,"  says  Studley,  "  those  that 
escaped  lived  upon  Sea-crabs  and  Sturgeon.  Fifty  in  this 
time  we  buried." 

Ere  long  their  pitiful  store  of  provision  was  "  all  spent," 
and  the  sturgeon  season  was  over.  Even  the  Indians  who 
they  hourly  expected  to  destroy  them  in  their  weakness, 
seem  to  have  been  touched  by  their  "  desperate  extremitie," 
for  it  is  written  that  God  "  so  changed  the  harts  of  the 
savages  that  they  brought  such  plenty  of  their  fruits  and 
provision  as  no  man  wanted." 

With  the  aid  of  these  unexpected  supplies  and  doubt- 
less helped  also  by  the  passing  of  summer  with  its  burning 
suns,  the  remnant  of  the  original  one  hundred  and  five 
colonists  seems  to  have  secured  a  firmer  grip  on  life.  Cap- 
tain Smith,  who  was  given  control  of  aiFairs,  set  some  of 
them  "  to  mow,  others  to  bind  thatch,  some  to  build  houses, 
others  to  thatch  them." 

Going  off  in  "  the  shallop  "  on  a  search  for  food,  he 
succeeded  in  securing  a  helpful  supply  of  game  and  corn 

23 


COLONIAL   MIUiL\L\,   ITS   PKOI'LL  AND   CUSTOMS 

I'roni  tlie  Indians,  in  return  for  beads,  hatchets  and  "  such 
toys,"  and  estabhshed  a  fantastic  sort  of  trade  with 
Powhatan,  which  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  wily  old 
"  emperor  "  never  ceased  to  view  the  dauntless  White  Chief 
with  suspicion,  nor  to  plot  his  destruction,  kept  the  colony 
from  actual  starvation  until  the  arrival  of  the  First  Supply 
from  Kn^land.  Moreover,  Smith's  reports  of  the  plenty  he 
had  seen  and  the  love  of  Pocahontas  for  himself  and  the 
colony,  "  so  revived  their  dead  spirits  ...  as  all  men's 
fears  was  abandoned." 

It  is  significant  that  chroniclers  who  found  Virginia  in 
sj)ring  a  paradise  are  silent  as  to  the  beauties  of  autumn. 
There  was  no  entlmsiasm  left  with  which  to  chant  the  praise 
of  the  sunset-colored  woods,  the  golden  sunshine,  the  soft- 
ening, veil-like  mists  of  Indian  summer. 

In  the  spring  of  ir>()7  the  change  from  sea  to  shore 
had  made  Mother  Karth  doubly  charming,  but  in  the  mid- 
winter following  it  was  the  first  glimpse  of  the  white  wings 
of  Captain  Newport's  returning  ship  that  enraptured  their 
longing  eyes.  Enfeebled  as  they  were,  we  may  be  sure 
they  found  voices  that  made  the  woods  ring  with  shouts  of, 
A  sail!  Xcicport!  Kngland  has  not  forgotten  us!  We  are 
saved!  Glorif  to  God!  hong  live  the  king! 

One  hundred  and  twenty  men,  "  well  furnished  with  all 
things  that  could  be  imagined  necessary,"  both  for  them- 
selves and  the  first  settlers,  landed  on  January  14,  1008. 
Put  the  joy  they  brought  was  shortlived,  for  three  days 
late?*,  during  freezing  weather,  Jamestown  was  destroyed 
by  fire.  Buildings,  arms  and  ammunition,  bedding,  clothing 
and  much  of  tlie  ])rovision  went  up  together  in  smoke. 
Their  houses  had  been  rough  and  comfortless,  but  had,  at 
least,  afi'orded  shelter;  the  cluirch  was  ])arn-like  and  rick- 
ety, but  It  had  sent-d  to  remind  tliem  that  God  was  still  in 


THE  MllGINIA  PEOPLE 


heaven,  and  in  it  they  had  daily  said  the  prayers  they  had 
learned  in  England.  Say  Thomas  Studley  and  Anas  Tod- 
kill,  contributors  to  Smith's  "  Historic  ": 

"  Good  blaster  Hunt,  our  Preacher,  lost  all  his  Library 
and  all  he  had  but  the  cloathes  on  his  backc ;  yet  none  never 
heard  him  repine  at  his  losse." 

And  so  the  First  Supply  meant  only  over  a  hundred 
more  stomachs  to  till,  and  according  to  Studley  and 
Todkill,  they  were  again  reduced  to  meal  and  water, 
"  whereby,  with  the  extremitie  of  the  bitter  cold  frost, 
more  than  halfe  of  us  dyed." 

An  outbreak  of  the  gold  fever  caused  necessary  work 
to  be  neglected  and  added  to  the  general  distress.  Captain 
Newport  was  infected  and  lingered  at  Jamestown  to  freight 
his  ship  with  a  "  gilded  dirt "  believed  to  contain  the  cov- 
eted metal.  The  practical  Smith,  knowing  that  England 
would  expect  to  see  the  ship  return  laden  with  valuable 
products,  wished  to  load  her  witli  cedar  timber,  for  he  said 
he  was  "  not  enamored  of  their  dirty  skill,"  but  the  "  gilded 
refiners  with  their  golden  promises  made  all  men  their 
slaves,"  and  there  was  "  no  talke,  no  hope,  no  worke,  but 
dig  gold,  wash  gold,  refine  gold." 

Captain  Smith  had  his  way,  and  the  ship  was  loaded 
with  timber,  but  later  he  too  seems  to  have  had  a  touch  of 
the  gold  fever.  From  June  2  to  July  20,  1608,  he,  with 
a  party  consisting  of  seven  soldiers  and  seven  "  gentlemen  " 
— including  a  physician — were  absent  from  Jamestown  on  a 
voyage  of  discovery  and  trading  for  food  supplies.  They 
went  in  an  open  barge  with  a  sail  which  they  repaired 
with  their  shirts  when  it  had  been  badly  damaged  in  a 
storm.  They  explored  Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  Poto- 
mac River,  "  searching  every  inlet  and  bay  fit  for  har- 
bors and  habitations  " ;  "  digging  and  searching  for  gold  "; 

to 


COLONIAL   VJKOLXLV,   LLS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

parleying,  trading  or  skirniisliing  with  the  Indians;  fisliing 
— for  want  of  nets — with  a  frying-pan,  but  finding  it,  as 
they  artlessly  deelare,  "  a  bad  instrument  to  catch  fish 
with." 

Tliey  returned  to  tlie  settlement  on  July  21  with  the 
thrilling  news  that  they  had  discovered  a  gold  mine  and 
that  the  Chesapeake  "  stretched  into  the  South  Sea,  or 
somewhat  ncare  it."  They  found  the  new  Supply  "  all 
sicke,"  while  tlie  remnant  of  tlie  earlier  settlers  were  '*  some 
lame,  some  bruised,  all  unable  to  do  anything  but  com- 
plain "  of  Ratcliffe — the  new  President — who  they  charged 
had  "  riotously  consumed  "  more  than  his  share  of  the  pro- 
visions and,  by  setting  them  to  work  on  "  an  unnecessary 
building  for  his  pleasiu'e  in  the  woods,  had  brought  them 
to  all  that  misery." 

Captain  Smith  put  Scrivenor  at  the  head  of  affairs, 
distributed  the  ])rovisions  Ratcliffe  had  appropriated,  and 
set  out  with  six  gentlemen  and  six  soldiers  to  make  further 
discoveries.  Seven  of  this  party  were  of  the  "  last  Supply," 
and  not  being  "  seasoned  to  the  country,"  were  soon  "  sicke 
ahnost  to  death,"  but  tlie  only  one  that  died  was  "  Mr. 
Fethcrstone,"  who  had  "  behaved  himselfe  honestly,  vali- 
antly and  industriously."  They  buried  him  "  with  a  volley 
of  shot,  '  in  a  little  bay  to  which  they  gave  his  name. 

It  was  the  custom  of  these  Knglishmcn,  exploring  a 
wilderness  in  an  open  boat,  three  thousand  miles  from 
civilization,  or  the  influence  of  woman,  "  daily  to  have 
Prayer  with  a  Psalme.  at  which  solcmnitie,"  we  are  in- 
formed, "  the  poore  Salvages  much  wondred." 

Returning  to  Jamestown  on  Se])tember  7  they  found 
Master  Scrivenor  and  divers  others  whom  they  had  left 
"  exceeding  sicke  "  with  yellow  fever,  "  well  recovered." 
1\\\\  tlu  y  also  found  "  many  dead;  some  sicke." 


A  LONDON  STREET  IN  1638 


c:  ■' 


A  FARM  HOUSE 


A  COTTAGE 


^i.,. 


A  VILLAGE 

Typical  Knglisli  Homes  of  many  Virginia  Emigrants 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


Captain  Smith  resumed  the  presidency  and  set  about 
gettnig  things  at  Jamestown  into  shape.  The  building  of 
Ratchtfe's  "  pallace  "  was  stayed  as  "  a  thing  needlesse." 
the  church  was  repaired  and  the  storehouse  re-roofed,  and 
buildings  made  ready  for  supplies  expected  from  Eng- 
land. The  "  order  of  the  watch  "  was  renewed,  and  the 
whole  company  drilled  every  Saturday  in  a  field  near  the 
fort,  "  where  sometimes  more  than  an  hundred  Salvages 
would  stand  in  amazement  to  behold  "  the  soldiers  batter 
a  tree  on  which  a  target  had  been  placed. 

The  boats,  "  trimmed  for  trade,"  and  sent  out  with 
Percy  in  command,  met  Captain  Newport's  ship  bringing 
the  Second  Supply.  This  added  to  the  colony  seventy 
persons,  including  the  first  two  Englishwomen  who  had 
seen  Virginia — Mrs.  Forrest  and  her  maid,  Ann  Burras. 
There  came  also  Captain  Ralph  Waldo  and  Captain  Peter 
Wynne,  "  two  ancient  soldiers  and  valiant  gentlemen,"  to 
be  added  to  the  Council,  "  sundiy  skilful  workmen  from 
foreign  parts,"'  and  "  many  honest,  wise,  painful  men  of 
every  trade  and  profession." 

But,  alas,  the}^  brought  little  in  the  way  of  provision. 
In  a  letter  to  the  Treasurer  and  Council  of  Virginia  in 
London,  entrusted  to  New^port  on  his  return  trip.  Captain 
Smith  complained  of  the  inadequate  amount  of  food  fur- 
nished the  colony  and  the  large  number  of  men  sent  out  to 
consume  it.  He  describes  the  colonists  as  "  the  one  halfe 
sicke,  the  other  little  better,"  and  says,  "  our  dyet  is  of  a 
little  meale  and  water,  and  not  sufficient  of  that."  He 
begs  that  next  time  they  will  "  send  but  thirty  carpenters, 
husbandmen,  gardeners,  fishermen,  blacksmiths,  masons, 
and  diggers  up  of  tree  roots,"  rather  than  a  thousand  such 
as  they  have,  and  to  send  them  well  provided.  "  For 
except  wee  be  able  both  to  lodge  them  and  feed  them 

27 


COLONIAL  VI11GINL\,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

they  will  die  for  want  of  the  necessities  of  life  before  they 
can  l)c  made  /^ood  for  anything." 

lie  also  protests  against  the  expectation  of  protit  out 
of  Virginia  so  soon — reminding  them  that  the  colonists  are 
'*  hut  a  many  of  ignorant,  miserable  soules,  that  are  scarce 
able  to  get  necessaries  to  live,  and  defend  themselves 
against  the  inconstant  Salvages." 

Captain  Newport  sailed  for  Kngland  again — carrying 
Smith's  letter — in  December,  1608.  Soon  after  his  de- 
parture the  colonists  witnessed  the  first  English  wedding 
on  \'irginia  soil.  The  bride  was  Ann  Burras  and  the  bride- 
groom was  John  I^aydon,  a  laborer,  and  one  of  the  first 
settlers.  Humble  folk  they  were,  but  though  we  have  no 
details  of  the  wedding  we  may  be  sure  that  Jamesto^vii 
made  as  merry  over  it  as  was  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  that  when  good  Master  Hunt  spoke  the  solemn 
words  that  meant  the  founding  of  the  first  Knglish  family 
in  the  first  Knglish  colony  in  xVmerica  they  fell  on  the  ears 
of  his  hearers  with  due  significance. 

Doubtless  Mistress  Forrest  dressed  the  bride,  acted  as 
her  matron  of  honor  and  gave  her  away,  and  doubtless 
too,  she  was  godmother  to  little  Virginia  Laydon,  the 
colony's  first  baby,  born  to  John  and  Ann  in  the  following 
autnnm. 

The  colony  was  now  in  tlie  middle  of  its  second  winter. 
Kealization  that  notwithstanding  the  losses  by  death,  there 
were,  with  the  last  Supply,  two  hundred  persons  to  keep 
soul  and  body  together  on  the  pitiful  ])rovision  so  "af- 
frighted "  them  with  the  prospect  of  famine  that  Ca])tain 
Smith  and  otliers  bestirred  themselves  more  diligently  than 
ever  to  find  food.  This  was  growing  more  and  more  ditfi- 
(Milt.  for  the  Indians  rre(|uently  either  refused  to  trade  or 
dcmatided  swords  and  "  sticks  that  speak."  as  they  called 

2S 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


muskets,  in  return  for  their  corn,  and  of  course  these  were 
denied  them.  In  their  hargaining,  all  the  shrewdness  of  a 
Smith  was  required  to  match  the  shrewdness  of  a  Powhatan 
or  Opecancanough,  and  the  hardships  that  were  endured 
to  ohtain  a  few  hushels  of  corn  or  a  few  pounds  of  deer 
suet  are  past  description. 

In  December,  with  the  ground  covered  with  snow,  their 
"  quarter  "  was  the  open  woods. 

"  The  snow  we  digged  away  and  made  a  great  fire  in 
the  place ;  when  the  ground  was  well  dryed  we  turned  away 
the  fire,  and  covering  the  place  with  a  mat  there  lay  very 
warme." 

At  Werowocomico — Powhatan's  seat  on  York  River — 
tlie  barge  went  aground  in  half  frozen  shoals,  "  a  flight 
sliot  from  shore,"  and,  led  by  Smith,  they  waded  "  neere 
middle  deepe  "  ashore,  through  muddy  icy  ooze.  They 
"  ^vTangled  "  ten  quarters  (eighty  bushels)  of  corn  out  of 
Powhatan  for  a  copper  kettle  which  had  struck  his  fancy, 
but  as  it  was  plain  that  he  was  "  bursting  with  desire  to 
have  Captain  Smith's  head,"  and  Pocahontas  came  "  in 
that  darke  night  through  the  irksome  woods  "  to  inform 
her  English  friends  of  a  plot  to  send  them  a  fine  supper 
and  then  murder  them  while  they  ate  it,  they  spent  the 
night  "  vigilantly  "  until  it  was  high  water  and  took  their 
departure. 

At  Pamunkey,  Opecancanough,  after  entertaining 
them  with  "  feasting  and  much  mirth,"  plotted  to  kill  them, 
but  Captain  Smith,  with  a  mixture  of  tact,  bluff,  and 
daring,  saved  their  lives.  He  snatched  the  dread  Opecan- 
canough by  the  scalp-lock  and  pressing  his  pistol  against 
his  breast  assured  him  that  if  his  subjects  did  not  keep  their 
promises  to  load  the  barge  with  provisions,  he  would  load 
her  with  their  "  dead  carcases,"  but  if  they  would  trade  as 
friends  he  would  not  hurt  them. 

3  29 


COLONIAL  Vm(;L\L\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

**  Upon  this,  away  went  their  Bowes  and  AiTOwes,  and 
men,  women  and  children  brought  in  their  Commodities. 
.  .  .  and  whatsoever  he  gave  them  they  seemed  therewith 
well  cuntcnted." 

Yet  there  are  some  bright  spots  in  the  stor5\  In  the 
Indian  town  of  Kccouglitan — the  site  of  the  present 
Hampton — a  week  of  "  extreme  winde,  rayne,  frost  and 
snow  "  caused  the  explorers  to  keep  that  Christmas  of  1G08 
among  the  Indians  and  they  "  were  never  more  merry,  nor 
fed  on  more  plentie  of  good  Oysters,  Fish,  flesh,  Wild- 
foule,  and  good  bread;  nor  never  had  better  fires  in  Eng- 
land, than  in  the  dry,  smoaky  houses  of  Kecoughtan." 

Upon  his  return  to  Jamestown  Captain  Smith  gave 
the  colonists  a  2)lain  talk  as  to  the  necessity  of  the  greatest 
industry  if  they  would  live,  and  laid  down  the  law  that  "  he 
that  will  not  work  shall  not  eat,"  unless  disabled  by  illness. 

And  now,  runs  tlie  record,  they  so  quietly  followed 
their  business  that  in  three  months'  time  they  made  some 
tar,  pitch  and  soap  ashes,  produced  "  a  trial  of  glass,"  made 
a  well  in  tlie  fort  "  of  excellent  sweet  water,"  built  about 
twenty  liouscs,  re-roofed  the  church,  made  fishing-nets  and 
weirs,  built  a  blockhouse  in  the  "  neck "  of  the  island 
guarded  by  a  garrison,  "  to  entertaine  the  Salvages  trade," 
and  "  digged  and  planted  "  thirty  or  forty  acres  of  land. 
They  had  now  sixty-odd  ])igs  and  nearly  five  hundred 
chickens  whicli  "  brought  up  tlicnisclves  without  having 
any  meat  given  them." 

In  the  midst  of  this  lull  in  their  hardships  an  examina- 
tion of  their  supply  of  corn  showed  that  it  was  "  balfe 
rotten,"  and  [he  rest  l)cing  consumed  by  "  tliousands  of 
rats,"  the  first  of  which  were  emigrants  from  England. 

"  This  did  drive  us  all  to  our  wits'  end,"  and  "  occa- 
sioned the  end  of  all  our  workc,  it  being  worke  sufficient  to 
provide  victuall." 

80 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


A  party  of  "  60  or  80  "  was  sent  down  the  river  to 
live  upon  oysters,  and  twenty  to  Point  Comfort  to  try 
fishing.  Twenty  more  were  sent  to  the  falls,  but  nothing 
could  be  foimd  there  but  a  few  acorns,  which  were  equally 
divided  among  the  men.  They  had  for  a  time  "  more 
sturgeon  than  could  be  devoured  by  dog  and  man,"  some 
of  which  they  dried  and  pounded  and  used  for  making 
bread. 

There  were  mm'murings  against  Captain  Smith  and 
threats  to  abandon  the  country  which  he  answered  by 
promising  all  runaways  the  gallows,  reminding  them  that 
he  had  never  had  more  from  the  "  store  "  than  the  worst 
of  them.  He  declared  that  he  would  divide  what  was  left 
of  the  English  provisions  among  the  sick  and  that  the  well 
must  gather  for  themselves  "  the  fruits  the  earth  doth 
yield." 

"  He  that  gathereth  not  every  day  as  much  as  I  doe," 
said  he,  "  the  next  day  shall  be  set  beyond  the  river  and  be 
banished  from  the  Fort  as  a  drone,  till  he  amend  his  con- 
ditions or  starve." 

"  This  order  many  murmured  was  very  cruell,"  but  it 
"  caused  the  most  part  to  so  well  bestirre  themselves  "  that 
only  seven  of  the  two  hundred  colonists  died  in  that  winter 
and  spring  of  1608,  "  except  they  were  drowned." 

They  had  some  help  from  the  Indians,  especially  the 
"  honest,  proper,  good,  promise-keeping  king  of  the  JNIan- 
goags,"  who  sent  Captain  Smith  "  many  presents  to  pray 
his  God  for  raine  or  his  corne  would  perish,  for  his  Gods 
were  angry." 

liiving  thus,  literally  from  hand  to  mouth,  the  colonists 
got  through  the  slow,  difficult  months,  until  midsummer — 
when  temporary  relief  came  from  an  unexpected  quarter. 
In  ^lay,  Captain  Samuel  Argall  had  been  sent  from  Eng- 

31 


COLONIAL   MR(.L\LV,  ITS  PKOPLK  AND   CUSTOMS 

land  to  find  a  safer  passage  to  Virginia  and  make  trial  of 
the  fishing  in  Chesapeake  Bay  and  James  River.  On 
July  23,  in  the  midst  of  the  sickly  season  when  endurance 
had  I)ccn  strained  to  the  utmost,  the  eyes  of  the  hapless 
hand  at  .lamestown  were  rejoiced  with  the  sight  of  his  sails. 

"  God  having  scene  our  misery'  sufficient,  sent  in  Cap- 
taine  Argall  to  fish  for  Sturgeon,  with  a  ship  well  furnished 
with  wine  and  hiskct;  which  though  it  was  not  sent  us, 
such  were  our  occasions  wc  tooke  it." 

Captain  Argall  also  hrought  the  news  of  the  commis- 
sion to  Lord  Delaware  as  Governor  of  Virginia,  with  Sir 
Thomas  Gates  as  his  Lieutenant,  Sir  George  Somers  as 
Admiral  General,  Captain  Xewport  as  Vice  Admiral,  and 
a  "  great  supply  "  in  preparation  for  Virginia. 

This  supply — hy  far  the  largest  that  had  been  sent 
out — sailed  from  England  on  June  18,  1609.  There  was 
a  fleet  of  nine  ships  carrying  five  hundred  persons — men, 
women,  and  children.  They  sailed  by  way  of  the  Canary 
Islands,  and  while  under  the  tropic  suns  both  yellow  fever 
and  the  equally  deadly  London  plague  made  their  appear- 
ance among  the  passengers.  ^lany  died  and  were  buried 
at  sea.  About  the  first  of  ^Vugust,  while  crossing  the  Gulf 
Stream  near  the  Bahamas,  a  small  vessel  was  lost,  with  all 
on  board,  and  the  admiral  ship,  with  Sir  Thomas  Gates. 
Sir  George  Somers,  and  Captain  Newport  aboard,  was 
cauglit  in  a  hurricane  and  cast  away  on  the  Bermudas. 
The  wreck  of  this  ship,  2Vic  Sen  Venture,  is  believed 
to  have  given  Shakespeare  the  theme  for  his  great  drama, 
"  The  Tempest." 

The  remaining  seven  ships  arrived  at  Jamestown,  in  a 
"  miserable  estate,"  late  in  August.  Some  of  them  had 
lost  their  masts,  some  had  their  sails  blown  from  their  yards, 
and  nnich  piovision  liad  been  spoiled  by  the  seas  washing 
over  their  decks. 

St 


Cbilham  Castle,  Kent — Digges 


ningitft'frTgWgfe^.^tU 


Leeds  Castle,  Kenl-Lord  Fairfax 
ANCESTRAL  HOMES  OF  SOME  VIRGINL\  FAMILIES 


THE  MKGINIA  PEOPLE 


Aniong  the  newcomers  were  "  divers  Gentlemen  of 
good  meanes  and  great  parentage,"  and  also  "  unruly 
gallants  packed  thither  by  their  friends  to  escape  ill  des- 
tinies." JNIore  unwelcome  than  these  were  the  diseases 
with  which  many  of  the  passengers  were  infected  and 
which  they  added  to  the  sufhciently  formidable  "  country's 
sickness." 

Early  in  October  Captain  Smith,  who  had  been  pain- 
fully burned  in  a  powder  explosion,  decided  to  go  to 
England  for  treatment  of  his  wounds,  and  Master  George 
Percy  succeeded  him  as  President.  In  the  "  Historic  " 
we  have  an  account  of  conditions  in  the  colony  when  Smith 
left  it.  According  to  this  there  were  four  hundred  and 
ninety  "  and  odd  "  persons — including  of  course  the  pas- 
sengers in  the  seven  ships.  Jamestown  was  strongly  pali- 
saded and  there  were  some  fifty  or  sixty  houses  there  and 
five  or  six  other  foi-ts  or  plantations.  The  harvest  was 
newly  gathered,  with  the  result  that  there  was  ten  weeks' 
provision  in  the  store.  There  were  five  or  six  hundred 
hogs  and  about  as  many  hens  and  chickens,  "  some  "  goats, 
"  some  "  sheep,  six  mares  and  a  horse;  and  they  had  fishing 
nets,  and  tools  for  all  kinds  of  work. 

The  list  of  arms  and  armor  for  defence  against  the 
Indians  is  especially  interesting.  There  were  twenty-four 
pieces  of  artillery,  three  hundred  muskets,  "  snapchances 
and  firelocks  " — primitive  guns,  a  sufficient  supply  of 
powder  and  shot  and  more  pikes,  swords,  cuirasses  and 
morions — open  face  helmets — than  there  were  men  to  use 
them. 

There  were  a  hundred  "  well  trained  and  expert  sol- 
diers "  to  whom  "  the  language  and  habitations  "  of  the 
Indians  were  known,  one  carpenter,  and  three  "  learners," 
two  blacksmiths,  two  sailors,  and  a  number  of  laborers. 

S3 


COLONIAL   \1K(;L\LV,   ITS  TEOPLE   AND   CUSTOMS 

The  rest  of  the  men  are  descrihed  as  "  poore  gentlemen, 
tradesmen,  serving-men,  hbertines  and  such  hke,  ten  times 
more  fit  to  spoyle  a  conmionwealth  than  either  begin  or 
help  to  maintainc  one."  But  tlie  chronicler  more  graciously 
adds,  "  Xotwitlistanding,  1  cont'csse  divers  amongst  them 
had  better  mindes  and  grew  much  more  industrious  than 
was  expected." 

Hard  upon  Smith's  departure  followed  the  "  Starving 
Time,"  and  the  earlier  hardships  of  the  colonists  faded  into 
insignificance.  The  increased  pojjulation  soon  devoured 
the  increased  provision.  Ague  and  fever  proved  as  debili- 
tating to  the  laborers  with  the  last  supply  as  they  had  to 
the  "  gentlemen"  with  the  first  two,  and,  as  has  been  said, 
yellow  fever  and  the  "  plague  "  had  been  added  to  the 
**  country's  diseases."  The  Indians,  finding  that  the 
dreaded  Captain  Smith  had  left,  robbed  and  murdered 
them  and  instead  of  corn  and  otiier  provisions  dealt  them 
"  mortal  wounds  with  clubs  and  arrows."  Of  the  whole 
population  of  about  five  hundred,  there  remained  within 
six  months  "  not  past  sixty  men,  women  and  children,  most 
misera])le  and  poore  creatures,  and  those  were  preserved 
for  the  n)()st  j)art  by  roots,  herbes,  acornes,  walnuts,  berries 
and  now  and  tlien  a  little  fish."  There  was  not  a  hog  or 
fowl  left  and  they  had  even  eaten  the  horses.* 

Historians  have  doubted  the  assertions  that  there  was 
cannil)alism  at  Jamestown  at  this  frightful  time.  True 
or  not,  statements  that  there  was  are  certainly  to  be  found 
in  contemporary  records.  One  of  these  incorporated  into 
Smith's  "  Historic  "  tells  us: 

"  So  great  was  our  fannne  that  a  Savage  we  slew  and 
buried,  tlie  jioorer  sort  tooke  liim  uj)  againe  and  cat  him, 
and  so  (lid  divirs  one  another  l)()yk'd  and  stewed  with  roots 

*  Strm  In  V  iind  Smith  both  testify  to  this. 

34 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


and  herbs:  And  one  amongst  the  rest  did  kill  his  wife, 
powdered  [salted]  her,  and  had  eaten  part  of  her  before  it 
was  knowne,  for  which  liee  was  executed,  as  hee  well  de- 
served; now  whether  shee  was  better  roasted,  boy  led  or 
carbonado'd,  I  know  not,  but  of  such  a  dish  as  powdered 
wife  I  never  heard." 

The  same  witness  adds  that  what  the  settlers  endured 
at  this  time  was  "  too  vile  to  say,"  and  declares  that  all 
would  have  perished  within  ten  days  more  had  not  rehef 
come  to  them. 

"  But  God  that  would  not  this  Countrie  should  be 
unplanted,  sent  Sir  Thomas  Gates  and  Sir  George  Somers 
with  one  hundred  and  fiftie  people  most  happily  preserved 
by  the  Bermudas  to  preserve  us." 

The  "  two  noble  knights  "  were  so  appalled  at  the  con- 
ditions they  found  at  Jamestown  that  they  decided  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  abandon  it,  and  taking  what  were 
left  of  the  half-starved  colonists  aboard  the  ship  they  had 
managed  to  build  during  their  nine  months'  sojourn  in 
the  Bermudas,  but  refusing  to  burn  the  town  as  many 
wished  them  to  do,  set  sail  for  England. 

But  "  God  would  not  have  it  so." 

Early  next  morning,  before  they  were  out  of  James 
River,  they  met  Lord  Delaware,  coming  as  governor  of  the 
colony,  with  three  ships  "  exceedingly  well  fm*nished  with 
all  necessaries  fitting,"  and  bringing  with  him  Sir  Ferdi- 
nando  Wainman  and  "  divers  other  gentlemen  of  sort." 

With  this  fleet  they  returned  to  deserted  Jamestown. 
This  was  on  Sunday,  June  10,  1610.  All  went  ashore 
and  heard  a  sermon  by  Parson  Bucke,  after  which  his 
Lordship  read  his  conmiission  as  governor  and  "  entered 
into  a  consultation  for  the  good  of  the  colony."  And 
the  chronicler  piously  observes,  "  Never  had  any  people 

35 


COLONIAL   MU(;L\L\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

more  just  cause  to  cast  themselves  at  the  very  foot-stoole 
of  (i(){l,  and  to  reverence  his  niercie." 

Heartened  by  the  provisions  his  Lordship  brought, 
their  hope  of  success  renewed,  all  fell  to  work  at  the  tasks 
allotted  them  and  "  every  man  endeavoureth  to  outstrip 
the  other  in  diligence." 

.Jamestown  was  now  tliree  years  old.  There  were  in 
the  fort,  in  addition  to  the  dwelling  houses,  a  market-place, 
a  storehouse,  a  "  corps-du-guarde  "  and  a  church — its  best 
building.  The  fort  was  built  in  the  shape  of  a  triangle  with 
its  widest  side  facing  the  river  and  a  row  of  houses  running 
along  each  of  the  other  two  sides  within  the  heavy  plank 
palisades.  The  houses  were  exceedingly  primitive,  of 
course,  but  their  large  "  country  chimneys  "  and  the  abun- 
dance of  wood  made  possible  the  cheerful  log-tires  dear  to 
the  iMiglishman's  heart. 

The  church  was  sixty  feet  long  and  twenty-four  feet 
wide  and  had  a  chancel  of  cedar  and  a  comnmnion-table  of 
black  walnut.  "  All  the  pews  and  the  pulpit  were  of  cedar, 
with  fair  broad  windows,  also  of  cedar,  to  shut  and  open  as 
tlic  weather  shall  occasion."  The  font  was  ''  hewen  hollow 
like  a  canoe,"  and  there  were  two  bells  in  the  steeple. 
"  Every  morning,  at  the  ringing  of  the  bell,  about  ten 
o'clock,  each  man  addressed  himself  to  prayers,  and  so  at 
four  of  the  clock,  before  supper."  - 

It  is  in  connection  with  this  little  house  of  worship  that 
we  have  the  first  suggestion  of  ceremonious  manners  in 
Virginia.  I^ord  Delaware  liad  it  put  in  good  repair  and 
**  kept  j)assing  sweet  and  trimmed  u])  with  divers  Howers," 
and  "  Kvery  Sunday  when  the  Lord  (Governor  went  to 
Church  he  was  accompanied  with  all  the  Councillors,  Cap- 
tains, other  Officers,  and  all  the  Gentlemen,  with  a  guard 

•  Strachey. 

56 


From  ■■  A  iju.ikcr  Fo:.t-B,iy.        ^  ourtesy  of  Loni;inans.  i  >reen  A:  (Jo. 

Biirlbrough  Hall,  Derbyshire — Rodes,  Baronets 


t  "^^ 


L^^i^j 


It  il.l   ■■    ri,.-   M,-,ip.r   l^.li^.-~  ol   E.l;.;lup|."       L:.  :i 

OkeWL-ll  Hall,  V,.rk>liir,-      Hall.- 

ANCESTRAL  HOMKS  OF  SO.MK  VIR(;i\tA  FAAHLIKS 


THE  VIIIGINIA  PEOPLE 


of  fifty  Halberdiers  in  his  Lordship's  Livery,  fair  red 
cloaks,  on  each  side  and  behind  him.  The  Lord  Governor 
sat  in  the  choir,  in  a  green  velvet  chair,  with  a  velvet  cushion 
before  liini  on  which  he  knelt,  and  the  council,  captains, 
and  officers  sat  on  each  side  of  him,  each  in  their  place, 
and  when  the  Lord  Governor  returned  home,  he  was  waited 
on  in  the  same  manner  to  his  house."  ^ 

Lord  Delaware  followed  the  fashion  of  blaming  the 
colonists  for  their  misfortunes.  In  an  address  soon  after 
h!s  arrival  he  charged  them  with  "  haughtie  vanities  and 
sluggisli  idlenesse,"  and  in  his  report  to  the  Virginia  Com- 
pany in  England,  dated  July  7,  1610,  describes  them  as  "  a 
hundred  or  two  debauched  hands  ...  ill  provided  when 
they  come  and  worse  governed  when  they  are  here.  ISlen 
of  distempered  bodies  and  infected  minds."  However,  he 
was  already  becoming  acquainted  with  the  real  cause  of 
tlieir  condition,  for  in  the  same  letter  he  speaks  of  the  "  sick- 
ness of  the  country,"  with  which  a  hundred  and  fifty  of  his 
men  had  been  afflicted  at  one  time,  and  he  is  persuaded 
he  would  have  lost  most  of  them  had  he  not  brought  with 
liim  good  Dr.  Bohun  and  a  store  of  medicines  which  were 
already  nearly  exhausted.* 

The  Lord  Governor  was  soon  to  learn  by  bitter  experi- 
ence the  effects  upon  tlie  energies  of  malaria  and  other 
ailments  witli  whicli  the  colonists  were  only  too  familiar, 
for,  after  nine  months'  residence  at  Jamestown,  continued 
ill-health  drove  him  back  to  England.  In  a  letter  of 
apology  for  deserting  his  post,  he  says  that  he  was  "  wel- 
comed to  Jamestowne  by  a  violent  ague,"  and  that  three 
weeks  after  he  was  cured  of  that  he  "  began  to  be  dis- 

^  Strachcy. 

*  Strachcy,  "  Histon'  of  the  Travailc  into  Virginia  Britania," 
Hakluyt  Society,  p.  xxxli. 

87 


COLONIAL  VIR(;L\L\,  ITS   PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

teiiipered  with  other  grievous  sicknesses  which  successively 
and  severally  "  assailed  him.  Then  ague  and  fever  seized 
him  again  with  nmcli  more  violence  than  before  and  held 
him  fur  more  than  a  month,  bringing  him  to  "  greater  weak- 
nesse."  lie  was  soon  to  be  brought  to  a  still  more  miserable 
condition,  for  says  he: 

"  The  liux  surprised  mee,  and  kept  me  many  daies, 
then  the  crampe  assaulted  my  weake  body  with  stronge 
paines,  and  after  that  the  gout." 

Finally,  scurvy  reduced  him  to  such  a  state  that  he  was 
*'  ready  to  leave  the  world,"  but  preferring  a  "  hopefull 
rccovcrie  "  to  an  "  assured  ruine,"  and  lacking  "  both  food 
and  Physicke  fit  to  remedie  such  extroardinary  diseases, 
on  March  28, 1611,  he  "  shipped  "  himself  back  to  England, 
taking  along  to  attend  him  Dr.  Bohun. 

lie  says  he  left  in  Virginia  "about  two  hundred" — 
all  that  were  left  alive  of  some  nine  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  who  had  come  out  in  the  three  years.  He  left  the 
colony  in  charge  of  "  Captaine  George  Piercie,  a  Gentle- 
man of  honour  and  resolution,"  who  was  to  act  as  governor 
until  the  coming  of  Sir  Thomas  Dale. 

The  able  Sir  Thomas  and  his  fleet  of  three  ships  with 
men  and  cattle,  "  and  all  other  provisions  necessarie  for 
a  yeare,"  entered  Virginia  waters  on  the  tenth  of  ^lay. 
At  Jamestown  he  found  "  most  of  the  companie  at  their 
daily  and  usuall  works,  bowling  in  the  streets;  these  he 
imployed  about  necessarie  workes." 

About  the  first  of  August  there  arrived,  "  to  second 
tliis  noble  knight,"  Sir  Thomas  Gates  with  a  fleet  of  "  six 
tall  ships,"  bringing  three  hundred  persons — twenty  of 
whom  were  women,  and  among  tlieni  T^ndy  Gates  and  licr 
daughters — a  hundred  cattle,  and  "  all  manner  of  provision 
thnt  could  be  thought  needfull." 

3S 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


As  a  disciplinarian  Sir  Thomas  Dale  was  a  past  master. 
The  martial  laws  he  established  at  Jamestown  were  severe 
in  tlie  extreme,  but  he  made  some  wholesome  improvements. 
The  colony  had  been  managed  from  the  beginning  on  the 
commmiity  j^lan — all  sharing  the  work  and  such  provisions 
as  were  at  command.  Dale  at  once  allotted  all  of  the  settlers 
private  gardens,  in  addition  to  the  public  ones,  and  in 
1613  gave  each  man  three  acres  of  cleared  ground  to  farm 
for  himself  and  his  family,  and  we  are  informed  that  when 
they  were  "  fed  out  of  the  common  store  and  laboured 
jointly  together,  glad  was  he  that  could  slip  from  his  labour, 
or  slumber  over  his  taske,  he  cared  not  how,  nay  the  most 
honest  among  them  would  hardly  take  so  much  paines  in 
a  weeke  as  now  for  themselves  they  will  doe  in  a  day." 

There  was  now  a  steady  inflow  of  emigrants  to  Vir- 
ginia, in  smaller  numbers.  Englishmen  may  be  said  to 
have  secured  a  fairly  firm  foothold  in  the  Red  Man's  land 
and,  in  spite  of  continued  high  mortalit}^  there  was  no 
longer  any  doubt  of  the  continuance  of  the  colony.  Little 
settlements  gradually  extended  along  the  river  from  Point 
Comfort  and  Newport's  News  to  the  present  site  of  Rich- 
mond. Governor  Dale  established  a  new  town  at  Henrico 
on  the  Dutch  Gap  peninsula,  and  a  hospital  called  "  Mount 
]Malady  "  was  built  nearby.  Though  from  1611  to  1613 
there  were  frequent  contests  with  the  Indians,  the  use  of 
armor  by  the  Englishmen  made  their  arrows  almost  harm- 
less. The  marriage  of  Pocahontas  with  John  Rolfe,  in 
April,  1613,  was  followed  by  a  peace  with  Powhatan  and 
his  people,  and  says  Rolfe: 

"  The  great  blessings  of  God  have  followed  this  peace 
and  it,  next  under  Him,  hath  bredd  our  plentie — everie  man 
sitting  under  his  fig-tree  in  safety,  gathering  and  reaping 
the  fruits  of  their  labors  with  much  joy  and  comfort." 

89 


COLONIAL  MllGLXLV,   ITS  rKCJl'LE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Iron  wurks  were  established  at  Falling  Creek  and  the 
nianufaeture  of  salt  and  glass,  and  experiments  in  vine- 
growing  and  silk-making  begun.  Encouraged  by  the  hap- 
pier conditions,  the  colonists  actually  undertook  enter- 
prises outside  of  Virginia,  such  as  the  sending  of  Captain 
Argall,  in  IGl-i,  to  break  up  the  French  settlement  on 
the  coast  of  Maine,  which  saved  Xew  England  for  the 
Knglish. 

In  1011)  the  cultivation  of  tobacco  was  begun,  and  in 
the  same  year  came  the  Virginia  Company's  best  gift  to 
the  colony — the  right  to  have  its  own  legislature.  Any 
one  who  reads  the  journal  of  this  assembly's  first  session 
must  see  that  the  representatives  were  independent,  stui'dy 
Knglishmen,  honestly  endeavoring  to  serve  the  people. 
Early  in  IG'22  justice  was  more  fully  brought  home  to  the 
people  by  the  establishment  of  local  courts  in  various  parts 
of  the  colony. 

Plans  had  been  formed  and  a  beginning  made  for  the 
establishnicnt  of  a  school  at  Charles  City — now  City 
Point — and  a  college  at  Henrico. 

T^])on  tliis  scene  of  fair  promise  suddenly  fell  the 
frightful  Indian  Massacre  of  1G22,  when  about  four  hun- 
dred of  the  twelve  hundred  and  forty  English  then  living 
in  Virginia  were  murdered.  There  was  a  temporary  panic, 
but  the  Virginians  soon  dauntlessly  expressed  the  belief 
that  the  colony  would  rise  from  its  depressed  condition 
to  greater  things  than  it  had  yet  attained  to.  and  the  Com- 
pany in  London  replied  that  "  tliis  addition  of  Friee  had 
endeared  the  Purchase  and  that  the  lilood  of  those  People 
would  be  the  Seed  of  the  Plantation." 

After  the  first  year  or  two  a  much  larger  ])roportion 
of  laborers  and  mechanics  was  brought  over.  Those  that 
came  with  Sir  Thomas  Dale  were  described  as  "  honest  and 

40 


THE  MRGINIA  PEOPLE 


industrious  men,  carpenters,  smiths,  coopers,  fishermen, 
tanners,  shoemakers,  shipwrights,  brickmen,  gardeners, 
luisbandmen  and  laboring  men  of  all  sorts."  Yet  they  stood 
the  diseases  of  the  locality  no  better  than  those  of  the  less 
hardy  class.  According  to  John  Rolfe's  count,  there  were, 
in  1616,  only  three  hundred  and  fifty  people  in  Virginia. 
The  historian,  Alexander  Brown,  has  made  a  calculation 
showing  that  between  Xovember,  1619,  and  February, 
1625,  forty-four  hundred  persons  died  or  were  murdered 
by  the  Indians. 

Gentlemen  and  laborers  alike,  the  vast  majority  of  the 
earliest  emigrants  to  Virginia  died  untimely  deaths,  leaving 
in  the  land  of  their  adoption  only  nameless  graves  upon 
f^raves  of  which  to-dav  we  have  no  trace. 

They  are  less  than  shadows — represented  only  by 
groups  of  colorless  figures.  Yet  we  know  that  those  fig- 
ures stand  for  himian  beings  like  to  ourselves  save  for  the 
excess  of  hardship  that  was  their  portion.  As  we  ponder 
over  them,  they  seem  to  take  on  flesh  and  to  plead  for 
interest  and  sympathy. 

They  blazed  the  way.  They  were  the  forerunners  of 
those  who  planted  a  civilized  and  Christian  state  in  a 
wilderness.  Whatever  sins  -were  theirs  they  blotted  out  in 
their  own  blood.  All  honor  to  them — saints  or  sinners! 
Amid  toil,  abuse,  w\ant,  terror,  starvation,  disease  and 
death,  they  held  the  land — a  forlorn  hope  dying  for  the 
sake  of  those  to  follow  them. 


41 


COLONIAL  VIRGLXLV,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

II— THE  LATER  EMIGR.VNTS 

The  Census  of  1624-25  forms  a  good  starting  point  for 
a  study  of  the  dasses  of  emigrants  to  Virginia,  for  by 
that  time  the  colony  had  assumed,  in  a  rudimentary  way, 
its  hiter  form. 

The  Census  shows  many  names  of  men  long  afterward 
active  in  colonial  affairs.  There  were  then  in  Virginia  six 
hundred  and  eight  free  people,  four  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  white  servants,  and  twenty-three  negroes.  Of  the 
freemen  twenty-five  left  descendants  in  well-kno\\'n  fam- 
ilies which  can  be  traced  to  the  present  day  and  eight  of 
the  servants  were  ancestors  of  Virginia  families  of  some 
standing.  There  may  have  been  many  others,  both  bond 
and  free,  who  left  descendants  that  cannot  be  traced. 

Among  the  freemen  referred  to  were  Thomas  Savage 
and  John  Proctor,  who  came  in  1607;  Edward  Waters, 
1608;  John  Flood  and  Thomas  Willough])y,  1610;  Thomas 
Harris,  Commander  of  a  plantation,  1611 ;  Francis  Mason, 
1613;  Abraham  Persey,  1616;  William  Farrar,  Jolm 
Wilkins  and  ^Matthew  Kdloe,  1618;  Thomas  Osborne, 
Commander  of  a  plantation,  John  Woodson  and  Thomas 
Gascoine,  1610;  Christopher  Branch,  1620;  John  I 'tie, 
John  Chew,  Anthony  Barham,  Daniel  Gookin,  Tliomas 
Purefoy,  and  John  Chisman,  1621;  John  West,  Samuel 
Mathews  and  Christopher  Calthorpe,  and  Sir  Francis 
Wyatt  and  Dr.  Jolin  Pott,  whose  Ijrotliers  founded 
families. 

We  have  information  about  the  English  forefathers 
of  but  few  of  those  resident  in  Virginia  at  the  time  of  the 
Census,  as  in  the  earlier  days.  The  father  and  grand- 
father of  Christopher  Branch  are  styled  "  gentleman," 
but  his  great-grandfather  was  a  prosperous  mercer  of 
A])ingdon.     Thomas  Baugh  was  a  grandson  of  Rowland 

a 


THO.MA.^ 


SIXTH    LOUD   lAIRFAX  OF   LKKUS  CASTLE,   ENGLAND, 
AND  GREENWAY  COURT,  VIRGINIA 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


Baugh,  Esq.,  of  Twining,  in  Worcestershire.  Thomas 
Pawlett  was  great-grandson  of  tlie  first  Marquis  of  Win- 
chester. Sir  George  Yeardley,  who  had  been  an  officer  in 
the  Low  Countries,  was  the  son  of  a  merchant  tailor  of 
London;  and  the  father  of  his  fellow-councillor,  Ralph 
Plamor,  was  another  Londoner  in  the  same  trade.  John 
Southern,  Gent.,  was  of  Tichfield,  in  Hampshire.  Eliza- 
beth and  Anne  Southej^  w^ere  the  widow  and  daughter  of 
Henry  Southey,  Esq.,  of  Rimpton,  Somerset,  who  had  died 
soon  after  his  arrival  in  Virginia.  John  West  was  a 
younger  son  of  the  second  Lord  Delaware.  Thomas  P'arley, 
Gent.,  Avas  of  the  citj^  of  Worcester,  and  John  Proctor  was 
brother  of  Thomas  Proctor,  a  wealthy  London  merchant. 
Edward  Berkeley  was  the  son  of  John  Berkeley,  who  had 
been  killed  by  the  Indians  in  1622,  and  grandson  of  Sir 
John  Berkeley,  of  Beverstone  Castle,  Gloucestershire. 
George,  Paul,  William,  and  Maurice  Thompson  were  sons 
of  Ralph  Thompson,  of  Walton,  Hertfordshire,  and 
IMaurice  was  grandfather  of  the  first  Lord  Haversham. 
Christopher  Calthorpe  was  the  son  of  Christopher  Cal- 
thorpe,  Esq.,  of  Blakeney,  Norfolk.  Nicholas  Martian  was 
a  Protestant  Walloon  who  had  been  naturalized  in  England. 
Thomas  Spilman  was  a  brother  of  Captain  Henry 
Spilman  who  had  been  killed  by  the  Indians  some  years 
before ;  they  were  nephews  of  Sir  Henry  Spilman.  Edward 
Waters  had  brothers  and  sisters  living  at  Great  Horn- 
meade,  Hertfordshire,  and  jNIiddleham,  Yorkshire.  Adam 
Thoroughgood  was  a  brother  of  Sir  John  Thoroughgood, 
and  his  wife,  Sarah,  was  a  member  of  the  great  London 
family  of  Offley  and  granddaughter  of  Lord  Mayor  Sir 
Edward  Osborne.  Captain  Francis  West  was  another 
son  of  the  second  Lord  Delaware,  and  Captain  John  Mar- 
tin the  son  of  Sir  Richard  Martin,  goldsmith,  of  London. 

43 


COLONIAL  MIUaXLV,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

Anthony  Bonall  was  probably  a  Frenchman,  as  the  Vir- 
ginia Company  gave  liim  two  shares  for  his  pains  in  secur- 
inrr  certain  vinc-dresscrs  from  Lanf^uedoc  to  go  to  Virc^inia. 
Charles  llarmer  was  a  brother  of  Dr.  John  Ilarmer,  CTreek 
professor  at  Oxford,  and  John  Barnabe,  a  brother  of 
Richard  Barnabe,  merchant,  of  London.  English  connec- 
tions of  a  num])er  of  others  are  known. 

Of  those  of  whose  origin  we  know  nothing  the  following 
are  termed  "  gentleman,"  in  contemporary  jjnblic  records: 
Thomas  Ilothersall,  Kaleigh  Crashaw,  John  Barnham, 
Kdward  Waters,  Pharoah  (or  Farrar)  Flinton,  Giles 
Allington,  John  Boiish,  Albino  I.upo,  Peter  and  John 
Arundel,  John  Chisman,  llobert  Poole,  John  Southern, 
Clement  Dilke,  Giles  Jones,  Thomas  Willoughby,  William 
Perry,  Kobert  Sweete,  John  Howe,  Thomas  Harwood, 
Klmcr  Pliillips,  James  Davis,  William  Spence,  Kichard 
Brewster,  AVilliam  Kempe  (of  Ilawes,  Leicestershire), 
AV'illiam  Julian,  John  Burrows,  Ii^dward  Grindon,  Xa- 
thaniel  Causey,  William  Harwood,  Peter  Strafferton, 
Bicliard  Kingsmill  (whose  arms  appear  on  his  widow's 
tomb),  Thomas  Marloe  or  Marlott,  Thomas  Cris])e  (of 
Kent),  Hugh  Crowder,  Killibett  Hitchcock,  John  Wilcox, 
John  Utie,  John  Baynum,  Anthony  Burrows,  William 
Knglish,  and  Samuel  Sharpe.  There  may,  of  course,  have 
been  others  entitled  to  the  desimiation  "  f]fcntleman,"  whose 
names  do  not  ha])])en  to  ap])ear  in  the  scanty  records  of 
the  time. 

iVmong  other  men  of  good  standing  were  various  mem- 
bers of  the  Council  such  as  Captain  Roger  Smith,  who  had 
served  twelve  years  in  tlie  wars  of  the  Low  Countries; 
(icorgc  Sandys,  the  poet,  who  was  Treasurer  of  the  Col- 
ony; William  Claiborne,  of  an  ancient  family  at  Cleburne, 
in   Westinoriland;   Christopher  Davison,   son  of  Queen 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


Elizabeth's  unfortunate  secretary,  who  had  died  in  1C23, 
but  whose  widow  was  still  living  in  Virginia,  and  Abraham 
Persey,  perhaps  the  wealthiest  merchant  in  the  colony. 

Still  another  class  of  prominent  men  were  those  who 
held  military  commissions,  and  who  in  lists  and  documents 
are  always  given  their  rank.  Among  these  were  Lieutenant 
Thomas  Osborne,  Ensign  Isaac  Chaplaine,  Captain  Wil- 
liam Pierce,  Captain  Nathaniel  Bass,  Captain  Thomas 
Davis,  Captain  William  Eppes,  Captain  Thomas  Graves, 
and  Ensign  Francis  Eppes. 

It  will  not  do  to  lay  too  much  stress  on  the  social  mean- 
ing of  the  term  "  mister,"  but  its  use  always  noted  a  person 
of  respectability.  It  seems  to  have  been  applied  alike  to 
gentlemen  and  prosperous  yeomen.  It  appears  before  the 
following  names  of  men  living  in  Virginia  about  this  time : 
Thomas  Swift,  William  Bentley,  Robert  Langley,  Thomas 
Allnut,  William  Atkins,  Thomas  Hamor  (a  brother  of 
Ralph),  Henry  Home,  Anthony  Barham,  John  Smith, 

Luke  and  John  Boyse,  Emerson,  Jolm  Upton, 

Edward  Cage,  Tobias  Felgate,  Francis  Chamberlain, 
Bagwell,  John  Bates,  and  Robert  Bennett. 

Of  these  John  Upton  and  John  Bates  were  included 
in  the  Census  among  the  servants  of  Abraham  Persey,  but 
there  is  evidence  in  contemporary  records  that  they  were 
hired  employes.  Upton  was  soon  afterward  styled  "  gen- 
tleman," and  Bates  "  merchant." 

Xext  to  this  upper  class  which  we  have  been  describing 
come  the  yeomen  and  mechanics.  Among  those  styled 
yeoman  were  Adam  Dixon  (who  had  come  to  Virginia  as 
master  caulker  of  the  Company's  ships),  John  Sipsey, 
afterward  prominent  in  Lower  Xorfolk;  Thomas  Sully, 
William  Spencer,  John  Johnson,  Richard  Taylor,  John 
Powell,  Robert  Salford,  John  Downman,  Thomas  Bouldin, 

4  45 


COLCJMAL   Mi{(,IMA,   ITS  TEOrLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

and  others.  Some  of  tliese  afterward  became  members  of 
the  House  of  Burgesses.  Among  the  mechanics  were 
Thomas  Passmore,  carpenter,  and  Richard  Tree,  carpen- 
ter, who  had  come  to  Virginia  as  a  foreman  for  Abraham 
Perscy. 

Thirty  of  the  freemen  named  in  the  Census  were,  or 
became,  men  of  sufficient  im2)ortance  to  be  members  of  the 
House  of  Burgesses,  but  are  otherwise  so  little  known  that 
in  most  instances  we  are  unable  to  determine  their  social 
standing  either  in  England  or  in  the  colony.  Of  some 
we  know  a  little.  Jolm  Powell,  yeoman,  seems  to  have 
had  a  son  of  his  own  name,  who  was  a  burgess  for  PLlizabeth 
City  16GG-70;  Richard  Tree,  as  has  been  said,  was  a  car- 
penter; Thomas  Kingston  was  afterward  Surveyor  Gen- 
eral; Rice  Hooe,  who  appears  as  having  business  trans- 
actions with  Edward  Bennett,  of  London,  was  ancestor 
of  a  family  ])rominent  to  the  present  day;  Roger  Dilke 
had  a  son  Roger,  of  Surry  County,  who  was  styled  "  gentle- 
man"; and  John  Moon,  at  his  death,  in  1665,  in  Isle  of 
Wight  County,  left  a  considerable  estate  in  Virginia  and 
lands  in  Hampshire,  England. 

^Vc  have  now  given  a  simimary  as  far  as  one  call  be 
made  of  social  conditions  among  the  freemen  living  in 
Virginia  in  1625. 

Of  the  four  lumdred  and  fifty-seven  servants  we  have 
infonnation  of  only  about  thirty  beyond  the  fact  that  they 
iccrc  servants. 

It  is  evident  that  some  of  them  were  merely  technically 
so  classed,  l-'or  instance,  Richard  Townsend  had  come  to 
Virginia  when  a  boy  of  fifteen,  but  we  know  that  before 
long  he  was  aj)prenticed  to  Doctor  Pott  to  be  tauglit  to  be 
a  physician  and  api)thecary.  Adam  Thoroughgood,  who 
also  came  at  fifteen,  had  two  brothers  who  were  knights — 
one  of  them  in  the  household  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham — 

46 


I 


S.  Cooper  sculp 
SIR  THOMAS  LUNSFORD 

From  an  unique  print  in  the  British  Museum 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


and  it  was  probably  tlu'ough  this  powerful  influence  that 
some  years  later  he  received  a  grant  of  3200  acres  "  at  the 
espetiall  recommendation  of  him  from  their  Lordships  and 
other  of  his  JNIajesty's  JNIost  Hon'ble  privie  Councell." 

Abraham  Wood  was  brought  to  Virginia  as  a  child  of 
six  and  in  later  years  became  a  Major  General  of  militia, 
the  greatest  Indian  trader  of  his  time,  and  a  leader  in  pro- 
moting Western  exploration. 

While  no  doubt  very  many  of  the  servants  named  in 
this  Census  were  laborers  and  menials,  it  is  plain  that  many 
others  were  of  a  diiFerent  grade  from  those  brought  over 
later.  On  account  of  the  small  amount  of  land  which  could 
be  cultivated  in  Virginia  there  was  not  in  the  early  days 
that  intense  desire  for  labor  which  later  caused  numerous 
examples  of  kidnapping  in  England  and  the  sliipping  to 
the  colony  of  people  gathered  up  in  the  streets  of  London. 

Among  the  thirty  servants  of  whom  a  little  is  known 
were  Robert  Hallam  (a  brother  of  William  and  Thomas 
Hallam,  salters,  of  Essex  and  London)  who  in  1636  ob- 
tained a  grant  of  a  thousand  acres  of  land  and  who  had  a 
grandson,  Samuel  Woodward,  of  Boston,  Mass.;  John 
Trussell,  who  settled  in  Northumberland  County  and  be- 
came a  burgess  and  colonel  of  militia ;  Randall  Crew — both 
of  whose  names  appear  in  the  noble  English  family  of 
Crew — who  was  a  burgess  for  Upper  Norfolk;  John  Bates, 
who  in  1626  is  styled  "merchant";  John  Upton  who  in 
1626,  as  "  ]Mr.  John  LTpton,"  was  ordered  by  the  Council  to 
pay  Abraham  Persey  for  the  eight  months  he  was  absent 
from  his  service  the  year  after  the  Massacre  and  who 
became  a  burgess,  commander  of  Isle  of  Wight  and  mint- 
master  general ;  Randall  Holt,  who  married  Mary,  daugh- 
ter and  heiress  of  John  Bayly,  and  acquired  a  large  landed 
estate  on  Hog  Island;  Richard  Townsend,  whose  career 

47 


COLONIAL   MlUilNLV.   ITS   PEOPLE   AND   CUSTOMS 

has  already  been  described;  John  Lightfoot  (not  ancestor 
of  the  later  family  of  the  name),  who  must  have  been  a 
hired  and  not  an  indentured  servant,  as  in  a  grant  of  land  to 
him  in  1G25  he  is  described  as  "  an  ancient  {)lantcr  who 
came  in  the  time  of  Sir  Thomas  Dale  ";  Abraham  Wood, 
already  referred  to  ;  David  Mansfield  or  iNIansell — de- 
scribed in  the  Census  as  "  a  hired  servant  " — who  became 
a  burgess;  \Vcssell  Webling,  a  son  of  Nicholas  Webling, 
of  London,  brewer,  whose  indentures  show  that  he  had  con- 
tracted to  serve  Kdward  Bennett  for  three  years  and  at 
the  end  of  that  time  was  to  be  given  a  house  and  fifty 
acres  of  land;  Thomas  Curtis  and  some  other  servants  of 
Daniel  (iookin,  who  seem  from  the  records  to  have  made 
contracts  with  him  before  coming  to  Virginia;  Lionel 
Koulston — both  of  whose  names  appear  in  an  old  family  in 
the  north  of  Kngland — who,  in  1627,  was  buying  and  sell- 
ing land  as  "gentleman,"  and  who  was  a  burgess;  John 
Hill,  of  Lower  Norfolk,  who  had  been  a  bookbinder  in  the 
University  of  Oxford;  Stephen  Webb,  afterward  burgess 
for  James  City,  whose  father  is  said  in  several  depositions 
to  have  been  of  lircshlev,  Worcestershire,  and  a  free- 
lioldcr  of  several  lands  in  that  manor;  William  Allen, 
Anthony  Pagctt,  and  Thomas  Jordan,  who  were  also  bur- 
gesses; John  Atkins,  Thomas  Barnett,  Thomas  Hawkins, 
Anthony  Jones,  Francis  Fowler,  and  others. 

In  later  years  when,  as  has  been  intifnated,  the  demand 
for  laborers  in  the  colony  could  hardly  be  met,  there  were 
fewer  servants  who  were  not  menials,  but  among  this  class 
Virginia  genealogists  have  found  but  two  from  whom 
sj)rung  people  of  any  prominence.  It  is,  of  course,  possible 
that  after  becoming  free,  many  servants  became  small 
farmers  and  may  have  had  descendants  who  rose  in  the 
world,  but  if  they  did  we  have  no  record  of  it. 

48 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


Tlie  treatment  of  the  emigrants  for  the  long  period 
between  the  Census  of  1625  and  the  Revolution  must 
necessarily  be  more  general. 

The  first  subject  to  be  considered  is  the  origin  of  the 
higher  planting  class.  One  of  the  most  discussed  phases  of 
emigration  to  Virginia  has  ever  been  that  of  the  Cavaliers. 
It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  "Cavalier"  means 
not  only  a  class  in  society,  but  also  a  political  party.  Any 
one  acquainted  with  the  history  of  England  during  the 
Civil  Wars  must  feel  that  after  the  defeat  of  the  King 
and  the  numerous  fines,  confiscations,  and  sales  forced  by 
necessity,  large  numbers  of  the  Royalists  would  have  wished 
to  leave  the  country.  After  the  Restoration,  when  so 
many  of  them  found  their  hopes  of  repaired  fortunes  dis- 
appointed, the  reason  for  their  emigration  continued.  In 
1649  there  were  sixteen  thousand  people  in  Virginia,  and 
in  1671  forty  thousand,  including  six  thousand  servants. 
During  this  period,  though  many  servants  came,  including 
Scotch  and  Irish  prisoners  of  the  Parliamentary  Army, 
and  there  was  a  considerable  increase  by  births,  it  is  evident 
that  there  was  an  unusually  large  emigration  of  freemen* 

No  one  was  in  position  to  be  better  informed  in  regard 
to  the  Royalist  emigration  to  Virginia  than  Clarendon.  In 
the  18th  book  of  his  History  he  says,  "  Sir  William  Berke- 
ley, the  Governor  thereof,  who  had  industriously  invited 
many  gentlemen  and  others  thither  as  a  place  of  security, 
.  .  .  where  they  might  live  plentifully,  many  persons  of 
condition  and  good  officers  in  the  war  had  transported 
themselves  with  all  the  estates  they  had  been  able  to 
presence." 

Governor  Berkeley  himself  says  in  his  "  Discourse  and 
View  of  Virginia"  (1663):  "Another  great  imputation 
lyes  on  the  Country  that  none  but  those  of  the  meanest 

49 


COLONIAL   MROINLV,   ITS   PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

quality  and  corruptest  lives  go  thither.  .  .  .  But  this  is  not 
all  true,  for  men  of  as  good  families  as  any  subjects  in  Eng- 
land have  resided  there,  as  tlie  Perseys,  the  Barkleys,  the 
Wests,  the  (iages,  the  Throgmortons,  Wyatts,  Digges, 
Chichleys,  Moldsworths,  Morisons,  Kemps,  and  a  hundred 
others,  which  1  forbear  to  name."  There  is  no  doubt  that 
the  "  imputation  "  referred  to  by  Berkeley  was  long  preva- 
lent in  Knglaud.  It  probably  arose,  in  part,  from  the 
exportation  of  convicts,  but  chieliy  from  the  infamous 
system  of  kidnapping  so  widely  spread  there. 

While  there  is  abundant  proof  that  many  gentlemen 
of  good  ftmiily  settled  in  the  colony,  and  also  many  sons 
and  kinsmen  of  merchants,  there  is  not  yet  sufficient  evi- 
dence to  authorize  positive  statements  as  to  the  whole  plant- 
ing class.  A  good  deal,  however,  is  known.  There  was  one 
baron,  Fairfax;  a  son  of  an  earl,  Percy;  three  sons  of  an- 
other baron,  lA)rd  Delaware;  and  the  grandson  and  great- 
grandson  of  two  others,  Henry  Willoughby  and  William 
Fairfax,  whose  descendants  became  Lords  Willoughby, 
of  Parham,  and  Lords  Fairfax.  Four  baronets,  Beckwith, 
Bickley,  Peyton,  and  Skipwith,  came  to  Virginia  and  left 
families  in  which  their  titles  descended,  and  three  families, 
Bathurst,  Bootli — from  the  Dunham  ^lassie  line — and 
Rodes,  descended  from  younger  sons  of  baronets,  also 
settled  in  Virginia.  Several  knights,  such  as  Sir  Henry 
Chicblcy,  Sir  Thomas  Tvunsford,  Sir  Fleetwood  Dormer, 
Sir  Dudley  Wyatt,  and  Sir  John  Zouch,  came,  not  as 
officials,  but  as  settlers. 

Among  other  emigrants  of  interesting  or  historic  con- 
nection in  Knglnnd  were  William  Bernard,  a  nephew  of 
Sir  John  Bernard,  who  married  Shakespeare's  grand- 
daughter; (ieorge  Donne,  a  son  of  Doctor  John  Donne; 
Henry  Finch,  brother  of  Sir  John  Finch,  Speaker  of  the 

50 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


House  of  Commons;  Francis  Lovelace,  brother  of  the  poet; 
Nathaniel  Littleton,  brother  of  the  Lord  Keeper,  and 
Francis,  Robert,  and  Richard  Moryson,  whose  sister  mar- 
ried the  famous  Lord  Falkland. 

A  very  considerable  number  of  the  English  gentry, 
many  of  whom  founded  families  of  their  own  names  while 
others  left  descendants  through  daughters,  settled  in  the 
colony.  As  has  been  said,  "  gentleman  "  is  a  term  covering 
a  wide  field.  Ancestors  classed  as  gentry  ranged  from 
ancient  and  distinguished  lines  like  Brent,  Calthorpe, 
Chamberlayne,  Chichester,  Clifton,  Coke,  Digges,  Evelyn, 
Filmer,  Isham,  Littleton,  Ludlow,  Mallory,  Wyatt,  and 
others  of  equal  note,  down  through  families  like  Batte  and 
Jenings  which  rose  during  later  Tudor  times,  to  those  whose 
"  gentry  "  was  only  a  couple  of  generations  old  at  the  time 
of  emigration,  and  whose  fortunes  had  been  founded  on  the 
successful  exertion  of  merchant  or  tradesman,  or  of  some 
shrewd  and  thrifty  steward  of  a  nobleman's  estate. 

The  Scotch  emigration  was  smaller,  but,  like  the  Eng- 
lish gentry,  represented  various  grades.  Some  were  de- 
scendants of  such  families  as  Douglas,  of  Mains;  Spots- 
wood;  Home,  or  Hume,  of  Wedderburn;  Graham,  of 
Wackinston  and  Killearn;  and  Wedderburn,  while  others 
were  of  much  lower  rank. 

The  families  which  can  be  traced  to  the  mercantile  class 
constitute  not  quite  so  large  a  number  as  those  descended 
from  the  gentry.  Some  of  them  were  of  great  merchant 
families,  like  Bennett  and  Bland,  of  London,  and  Cary,  of 
Bristol.  Though  several  of  these,  and  others — like  Boiling, 
Byrd,  IVIetcalf  e,  and  Terrell — trace  ultimately  to  the  landed 
gentry,  little  is  known  of  the  ancestry  of  many  merchants 
from  whom  Virginia  families  descend.  As  it  was  a  com- 
mon custom  during  the  reigns  of  Elizabeth  and  the  early 

51 


COLONIAL  VIR(;iXL\,   ny>  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Stuarts  for  younger  sons  of  country  gentlemen  to  be  ap- 
prenticed to  trade,  many  more  may  have  been  of  the  gentry, 
but  there  is  an  equal  possibility  that  they  were  of  humble 
extraction. 

A  good  number  of  prominent  Virginia  families — at 
least  forty — descended  from  ministers  of  the  Church  of 
England  living  in  Virginia,  or  from  emigrant  sons  of  min- 
isters. In  view  of  the  common  criticism  of  the  Virginia 
clerg}',  it  may  be  well  to  say  here  that  as  far  as  is  known 
ever}'  one  of  these  foimders  of  families  was  a  man  of  good 
character.  Most  of  them  of  whom  we  have  any  detailed 
record  were  college  bred  and  many  had  well  stocked 
libraries.  Like  the  other  classes,  they  came  of  different 
social  grades.  Some,  like  Bagge,  Campbell,  Foliott,  Rose, 
ISIcKae,  Semple,  and  a  number  of  others,  were  of  gentle 
blood,  while  others  still  came  from  a  lower  rank.  An 
influential  churchman  in  fingland  sometimes  founded  the 
fortunes  of  a  family  in  the  colony,  as  did  John  Robinson, 
Bishop  of  London,  whose  brother  Christopher  settled 
in  Virginia. 

A  few  families  of  note  traced  to  physicians,  lawyers, 
army  and  navy  officers,  five  or  six  to  masters  of  ships  in 
the  Virginia  trade,  three  or  four  to  master  weavers  or  cloth 
manufacturers,  three  or  four  to  yeomen,  and  about 
the  same  number  to  mechanics.  Servants  who  came  after 
1(>2.")  founded,  as  has  been  said,  two  well  known  Virginia 
families,  and  there  are  traditions  that  two  others  descend 
from  indentured  servants.  One  from  a  law  student  who 
was  kidnapj)ed  and  sold  into  Virginia,  and  the  other  from 
a  young  Seotelirnan  of  good  family  who,  having  run  away 
from  college  and  hound  himself  to  the  master  of  a  Vir- 
ginia ship,  was  sold  here  to  a  rich  planter  and  in  time 
became  a  prominent  lawyer  and  married  his  former  owner's 
daughter  and  heiress. 

5i 


Rol)erl  Rolling,  of  the  City  of  Loiiiion 


Copyright.  i<)0«.  t.y    I    i;.  II    I'ost 

H<-nr.v  CortHii.  of  Hull  Kiid,  Warwickshire 
SOMK     KorNDKRS     OK     VIKGLM.V     FAMILIES 


THE  VIRGINIA  PEOPLE 


Besides  the  families  of  the  upper  class  which  have  now 
been  treated  of,  there  was  a  much  larger  group — among 
them  a  number  of  the  most  influential  in  the  colony — of 
whose  ancestry  over  the  sea  we  have  absolutely  no  knowl- 
edge. The  emigrant  members  of  a  good  proportion  of  these 
are  known,  and  all  that  are  were  freemen — many  of  them, 
no  doubt,  sons  of  gentlemen  or  merchants.  They  came 
to  the  colony  as  men  of  recognized  position,  had  coats- 
of-arms,  and  numbers  of  them  soon  became  members  of 
the  House  of  Burgesses  or  of  the  Council.  They  bore 
such  names  as  Aston,  Ashton,  Armistead,  Ball,  Ballard, 
Beale,  Beverley,  Bray,  Duke,  Eppes,  Farrar,  Bridger, 
Browne  (of  Surry),  Carter,  Chisman,  Churchill,  Hill  (of 
"  Shirley") ,  Lee,  Parke,  Pettus,  and  others  of  prominence. 

In  addition  to  all  of  these  there  was  a  large  number 
of  emigrants  of  whose  ancestral  connections  we  cannot 
make  even  a  conjecture,  and  who  may  have  been  derived 
from  almost  any  grade  of  society  in  England;  but  not  a 
single  instance  of  a  Virginia  family  descended  from  a  con- 
vict has  ever  been  found  by  any  genealogist.  Some  con- 
victs may,  after  the  expiration  of  their  term  of  service, 
have  become  small  landholders  and  left  descendants,  but 
of  such  there  is  no  trace. 

Larger  still  than  any  of  the  classes  of  emigrants  which 
have  been  considered  was  the  great  mass  of  small  farmers, 
yeomen,  mechanics,  and  free  laborers  who  throughout  the 
Colonial  period  came  from  English  towns  and  villages, 
farmhouses,  and  cottages  to  Virginia,  and  who  constituted 
the  bulk  of  the  population  then,  as  their  descendants  did 
later.  This  middle  class  had  various  grades  within  itself 
and  later  in  the  period,  and  after  the  Revolution,  many  of 
its  members  acquired  wealth  and  position.  And  let  it  be 
emphatically  asserted  here  that  neither  during  the  Colonial 

S3 


COLONIAL  VIRGIXLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

nor  the  State  period  was  the  popuhition  of  Virginia  made 
up  mainly  of  large  landowners  and  "  poor  whites."  A 
great  majority  of  our  people  have  always  l)een  the  respect- 
able, independent  middle  class. 

This  discussion  has  been  devoted  chieHy  to  emigrants 
from  England,  for  the  few  hundreds  of  Huguenots  who 
came  over  were  soon  merged  in  the  surrounding  English 
poj)ulation,  and  the  very  important  Scotch-Irish  and  Ger- 
man elements  came  too  late  to  influence  colonial  manners 
and  customs  except  in  the  districts  settled  by  them.  Special 
knowledge  and  research  would  be  required  for  the  special 
studv  which  thev  deserve. 


II 

HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO 
MANSION 

OOKLY  provided  in  many  ways  as 
were  the  first  English  Americans  they 
found  ready  for  their  axes  and  saws 
great  plenty  of  goodly  timber  upon 
which  they  at  once  fell  to  work,  and 
Virginia  pine  and  cedar  trees  speedily 
became  roof-trees.  The  construction 
of  these  is  left  to  the  imagination,  but  they  were,  of  course, 
the  crudest  and  most  primitive  of  shanties.  Hastily  put 
together  of  green  plank,  they  were  soon  warped  and  rickety 
and  it  is  not  surprising  that  when  Sir  Thomas  Dale  came 
out  to  be  governor,  in  1611,  he  should  have  found  them 
about  to  fall  down  on  the  heads  of  their  owners. 

Ere  long  the  flimsy  plank  hut  gave  way  to  the  sturdier 
if  equally  primitive  log-cabin,  which  deserves  to  be  called 
the  earliest  form  of  colonial  architecture,  for  so  much  the 
rule  did  it  become  that  it  was  known  as  the  *'  Virginia 
house  " — as  the  cloth  the  busy  housewife  wove  for  bed 
linen  and  clothing  was  "  Virginia  cloth." 

This  original  Colonial  Dame  was  not  conscious  of  any- 
thing picturesque  about  the  title  which  is  hers  by  right, 
for  it  had  not  then  become  redolent  of  mansions  and  min- 
uets. She  had  a  stout  heart  or  she  would  not  have 
ventured  so  far  from  her  native  hearth-stone;  and  before 
Jamestown  malaria  froze  her  blood  and  parched  her  flesh 
and  fear  of  the  tomahawk  haunted  her  sleeping  and  wak- 
ing hours,  her  cheek  was  as  ruddy  and  her  eye  as  glancing 
as  cheeks  and  eyes  of  wholesome  English  girls  are  like  to 
be.  She  was  glad  of  her  dwelling  of  logs  with  the  bark 
on,  chinked  with  mud  or  with  clay  to  keep  the  weather 

65 


COLONIAL  VIRCJLMA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

out,  and  roofed  with  poles  or  with  chipboard,  and  proud  of 
her  chest  of  drawers  and  looking-glass,  her  pewter  plates 
and  dishes,  her  brass  kettle,  candlesticks  and  fire-dogs, 
brought  from  England,  and  also  of  the  home-made  settle, 
table,  or  cricket  which  supplemented  these,  and  the  feather- 
bed made  of  feathers  plucked  from  her  own  geese.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  many  a  worthy  burgess  and  his  lady  from 
whom  Virginians  of  to-day  are  proud  to  claim  descent 
found  peace  and  content,  when  the  day's  work  was  done, 
by  the  crackling  fire  of  such  a  home. 

Durinfj  these  earlv  davs,  and  afterward  in  the  settle- 
ments  in  the  western  part  of  the  colony,  there  were  scat- 
tered about  small  palisaded  forts  in  which  neighboring 
families  took  refuge  when  in  danger  of  Indian  attack,  and 
immediately  after  the  Massacre  of  1622  the  General 
Assembly  ordered  that  every  house  be  palisaded. 

As  time  went  on,  the  one-room  log-cabin  developed 
into  the  double  cabin  with  two  rooms  below  and  loft  above 
and  a  shed-room  kitchen  adding  to  its  commodiousness,  and 
sometimes  a  shingled  roof  and  weather-boarded  sides,  or 
even  a  rude  ])()rch,  gave  it  further  comfort  and  sightliness. 

Later,  wlien  these  primitive  abodes  were  supplanted 
by  frame  and  brick  houses  with  steep  roofs  and  big  chim- 
neys like  those  the  colonists  remembered  in  old  England 
the  "  Virginia  house  "  became  and  remained  the  home 
of  the  very  j)()or  man  and  the  frontiersman.  These  were 
■more  scantily  furnished — straw  pallets  or  bear-skins  laid 
before  the  fire  often  taking  the  place  of  the  prized  feather- 
bed, while  nuuli  more  frequent  than  the  brass  kettle  was 
the  "  great  iron  })()t  "  in  which  such  t)f  the  good  man's  food 
as  was  not  roasted  or  baked  before  the  open  tire  was  cooked, 
and  which  was  a  cherished  possession — a  valued  legacy. 
For  instance,  in  IT.'iO  James  McClure,  a  settler  in  The  Val- 

56 


A  LOG  CABIN 


TIIK  KOHKHIMtN    IIOISI',,  CHKSTKRFIKLD  COUNTY.     lUILT  ABOUT  1750 
Franie  dwelling  with  chimni'y  twenty-five  feet  wide 


HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  MANSION 

ley  of  Virginia,  bequeathed  to  his  son  James  his  "  Bible 
and  big  iron  pot,"  and  to  his  son  Samuel  his  "  next  biggest 
pot,"  and  directed  that  his  wife  Agnes  was  "  to  have  the 
use  of  both  pots."  ^ 

On  the  frontier  the  cabin  was  often  loop-holed  for  de- 
fence against  the  Indians.  If  it  was  adorned  and  made 
comfortable  with  skins  of  animals,  the  passer-by  guessed 
that  its  owner  was  a  hunter.  The  diary  of  a  Moravian 
missionary  from  Pennsylvania  who,  in  1735,  visited  the 
western  part  of  Virginia  now  occupied  by  the  mountain 
counties  of  Bath  and  Alleghany,  tells  of  lodging  in  cabins, 
sleeping  on  bear-skins  in  front  of  the  fire,  and  eating  bear's 
meat  which  he  says  was  to  be  found  in  every  house  in  that 
part  of  the  colony.  He  describes  the  white  people  of  the 
region  as  living  like  the  Indians — hunting  being  the  chief 
occupation  of  the  men  and  their  food  "  Johnny  cakes," 
deer  and  bear's  meat.^ 

Whether  the  Virginian's  home  was  the  earliest  one- 
room  cabin  or  the  fair  mansion  of  a  later  day,  its  most 
invariable  characteristic  was  hospitality.  Everj^  good  man 
of  a  house  and  every  good  housewife  stood  ready  to  share 
without  apolog}^  such  accommodations  as  Were  at  command 
with  the  stranger  who  chanced  to  come  by  as  freely  as  with 
the  invited  guest.  Perchance  the  unknown  was  offered  a 
"  great  bed  "  with  silk  curtains  and  valance,  perchance 
sleeping  space  on  a  bear-skin  or  pallet  in  the  one  room 
occupied  by  his  host,  hostess,  and  a  numerous  brood;  but 
the  spirit  of  the  offering  was  the  same — the  cheerful  giving 
of  the  best  the  giver  possessed — and  the  spirit  of  the 
acceptance  was  the  same. 

Colonel   William    Byrd    was    a   hospitable    soul    and 

^  Chalkley's  Augusta  County  Records,  iii,  64. 
2  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  xi,  123. 

57 


COLONIAL  VIK(;iXLV,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  others — rich  and  poor.  In  the 
lively  diaries  he  kept  during  his  horseback  journey ings 
about  Virginia  and  Xorth  Carolina  he  described  in  detail 
the  kinds  of  entcrtaiiiiiicnt  offered  him  in  homes  of  varying 
types.  In  Xovcmljcr,  1733,  travelling  on  the  frontier  in 
what  is  now  Brunswick  County  he  spent  the  night  in  the 
cabin  of  Captain  Henry  Enibrey,  who,  in  spite  of  the  simple 
life  carried  to  excess  described  by  Colonel  Byrd,  became 
in  after  years  a  man  of  property  and  a  member  of  the 
honoral)lc  House  of  Burgesses.    Says  the  graphic  diarist : 

"  We  found  the  housekeeping  much  better  than  the 
house.  Our  bountiful  landlady  had  set  her  oven  and  all 
her  s})its,  pots,  gridirons  and  saucepans  to  work  to  diversify 
our  entertainment.  The  worst  of  it  was  we  .  .  .  were 
obliged  to  hnlge  very  sociably  in  the  same  apartment  ^vith 
the  family,  where  reckoning  men,  women  and  children  we 
mustered  no  less  than  nine  persons  who  all  pigged  very  lov- 
ingly together." 

This  the  cultured  and  wealthy  Colonel  Byrd — the  mas- 
ter of  Westov^er! 

At  another  time  and  place  when  he  had  been  enter- 
tained in  like  fashion  he  comments  less  amiably  on  "  that 
evil  custom  of  lying  in  a  house  where  ten  or  a  dozen  people 
are  forced  to  pig  together  in  one  room,  troubled  with  the 
squalling  of  peevish,  dirty  children  into  the  bargain."  But 
he  continues  more  cheerfully: 

"  Next  morning  we  ate  our  fill  of  potatoes  and  milk 
wliich  seemed  delicious  fare  to  those  who  have  made  a  cam- 
paign in  the  woods." 

And  again:  "Our  bounteous  landlady  cherished  us 
with  roast  beef  and  cliicken  pie." 

Still  again  he  tells  of  being  entertained  at  a  poor 
planter's  house  when  "  the  good  man  "  laid  him  and  his 

58 


HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  MANSION 

two  conipanions  in  liis  own  bed  "  where  all  three  nestled 
together  in  one  cotton  sheet  and  one  of  brown  oznaburgs." 

Washington,  when  a  surveyor  in  The  Valley  of  Virginia 
in  17418,  had  a  taste  of  log-cabin  life  in  its  roughest  form. 
In  31arch  of  that  year  he  and  his  party  were  thus  enter- 
tained in  the  neighborhood  of  Winchester : 

"  After  supper  we  were  lighted  into  a  room  and  I  not 
being  so  good  a  woodsman  as  the  rest  stripped  myself  very 
orderly  and  went  into  the  bed  as  they  called  it,  when  to  my 
surprise  I  found  it  to  be  nothing  but  a  little  straw  matted 
together  without  sheet  or  anything  else  but  only  one  thread- 
bare blanket  with  double  its  weight  of  vermin.  I  was  glad 
to  get  up  and  put  on  my  clothes  and  lie  as  my  companions 
did." 

Writing  to  a  friend  in  the  following  year  he  says: 

"  Since  you  received  my  letter  of  October  last  I  have 
not  slept  but  three  or  four  nights  in  a  bed,  but  after  walking 
a  good  deal  all  the  day  I  have  lain  down  before  the  fire 
upon  a  little  hay,  straw,  fodder  or  a  bearskin,  whichever  was 
to  be  had,  with  man,  wife  and  children;  and  happy  is  he 
who  gets  the  berth  nearest  the  fire."^. 

Long  before  these  frontier  experiences  of  Byrd  and 
Washington  the  log-cabin  had,  in  the  older  part  of  the 
colony,  become  identified  with  the  poor  white  and  the  negro, 
and  weather-boarded  frame  houses  with  a  good  proportion 
of  brick  ones  were  the  rule  among  the  well-to-do.  In  1638 
Governor  Sir  John  Harvey,  writing  to  the  Privy  Council 
in  England,  reported  that  a  convenient  portion  of  ground 
at  Jamestown  had  been  allotted  to  every  person  that  would 
"  undertake  to  build  upon  it,"  and  adds,  "  Since  which 
order,  there  are  twelve  houses  and  stores  built  in  the 
Towne,  one  of  brick  by  the  Secretary  the  fairest  that  ever 

3  Sparks'  "  Washington,"  ii,  416. 

59 


COLONLVJ.  VIRGIMA,   ITS   PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

was  knowne  in  this  countrye  for  substance  and  uniformitye, 
by  whose  example  others  have  undertaken  to  build  framed 
houses  and  to  beautifye  the  place  consonant  to  his  Ma'ties 
Instruction  that  we  should  not  suffer  men  to  build  slight 
cottages  as  heretofore."  * 

Brickniaking  began  very  early  in  the  history  of  the 
colony,  and  though  a  few  small  lots  of  bricks  were  brought 
from  England,  most  of  those  used  for  building  Virginia 
homes  were  of  home  manufacture. 

Owing  to  the  burning  of  Jamestown  by  Nathaniel 
Bacon  in  1676,  and  its  abandonment  as  the  colonial  govern- 
ment seat,  none  of  the  original  houses  remain  there,  but 
many  foundations  have  been  unearthed.  These  show  that 
for  three-(juarters  of  a  mile  along  the  river  front  and 
scattered  about  the  island  there  were  quite  a  number  of 
brick  houses,  including  one  tenement-like  row  which  were 
doubtless  stores  or  warehouses.  A  larger  building  at  the 
end  of  this  row  has  been  identified  as  the  State  House 
before  whose  windows  the  thrilling  scene  of  Xathaniel 
Bacon's  encounter  with  the  royal  Governor,  Sir  William 
Berkeley,  was  enacted. 

Most  of  the  foundations  which  have  been  unearthed  are 
about  forty  by  twenty  feet  and  show  deep  cellars.  As 
nothing  more  remains  of  the  houses,  it  is  impossible  to  say 
what  they  were  like,  but  the  tower  and  buttresses  of  the 
church,  finished  about  1640,  show  that  it  was  a  well  pro- 
j)()rti()ned  building.  Part  of  the  walls  and  a  chimney  of  a 
small  house  believed  to  have  been  a  contemporary'  of  the 
Jamestown  dwellings  were  to  be  seen  near  Hampton  until 
the  year  1007,  when  the  bricks — of  a  fine  glazed  kind — 
were  used  in  the  restoration  of  Jamestown  Church.  An- 
other house  of  the  same  tyj)e  may  be  seen  a  few  miles  above 
Williamsburg. 

*  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  iii,  29. 

60 


HULSE  NEAR  WILLIAMSBURG 

A  type  of  the  earliest  brick  dwelling 


R(J«),\1  Al      HltiiiM^lU  K'*.     ORANGE  COUNTY 
Showing  corner  fireplace 


HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  MANSION 

All  example  of  the  better  class  of  brick  house  at  James- 
town and  on  the  early  plantations  was  "  Malvern  Hill,"  a 
few  miles  below  Richmond,  built  by  a  member  of  the  Cocke 
family  early  in  the  seventeenth  century.  Unhappily,  this 
beautiful  little  mansion  was  destroyed  by  fii'e  within  the 
last  few  years. 

As  every  trace  of  most  of  the  houses  of  the  first  half 
of  the  seventeenth  century  has  long  since  disappeared,  we 
must  depend  upon  the  inventories  of  the  household  goods 
of  their  o\viiers  for  an  idea  of  their  proportions.  From 
these  it  seems  that  the  great  maj  ority  of  them  were  small, 
with  few  rooms  for  their  size.  JNIatthew  Hubard  was  a 
prosperous  merchant  of  York  County  and  had  seven  Eng- 
lish servants,  seven  horses,  forty-one  cattle,  five  pounds 
worth  of  silver,  and  thirty-odd  books — among  which  were 
a  Latin  Bible  and  Prayer  Book,  Ben  Jonson's  plays, 
"  Purchas's  Pilgrims,"  and  the  works  of  Captain  John 
Smith;  yet  his  house  contained  only  four  rooms  besides 
kitchen  and  buttery. 

Later  in  the  seventeenth  century  and  throughout  the 
eighteenth,  the  popular — and  generally  populous — frame 
house  in  the  towns  and  on  the  plantations  varied  in  size 
from  the  one-story,  two-room  cottage  to  homesteads  of 
such  generous  dimensions  that  they  shared  with  the  large 
brick  houses  the  title  of  "  manor,"  "  mansion  "  or  "  great 
house."  ]Most  frequent,  whether  built  of  brick  or  of  wood, 
was  the  story-and-a-half  house,  with  or  without  a  wing  at 
the  rear,  and  with  a  small  square  porch  and  a  "  shed- 
room  "  kitchen.  ISIany  of  these  are  still  scattered  about 
the  State — their  steep  roofs  and  hooded  windows  and  per- 
haps a  great  outside  chimney  at  either  end  bestowing  upon 
them  an  air  of  quaint  charm.  Such  a  house,  if  of  wood, 
was  generally  painted  white,  and,  with  its  embowering  trees 

5  61 


COLOxMAL  VIRCilXIA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

and  yard  enclosed  by  a  white  paling,  made  a  pleasant  pict- 
ure of  unpretentious  home  comfort.  The  two  principal 
rooms  of  a  house  of  this  character  were  the  parlor,  kept  for 
**  company,"  and  the  hall  used  as  dining  and  living-room, 
suggestive  of  the  reception  hall  of  to-day.  From  it  a  stair- 
way, with  a  turn  of  the  foot  and  broken  by  a  landing  half 
way  up,  led  to  attic-like  chambers  above. 

Sometimes  this  house  was  elongated  by  an  additional 
room  at  one  or  either  end.  Such  additions  had  the  one- 
stor}'  rector)'  of  Accomac  Chm-ch,  built  in  1G33,  wliich 
was  "  forty  feet  wide,  eighteen  feet  deep  and  nine  feet  in 
the  valley,  with  a  chinmey  at  each  end,  and  on  either  side 
of  said  chimney  a  small  room — one  to  be  used  as  ye  minis- 
ter's study  and  the  other  as  a  buttery." 

The  oldest  house  now  standing  in  Virginia  whose  date 
can  be  positively  identified  is  "  Smith's  Fort,"  in  Surry 
Coimty,  across  the  river  from  Jamestown.  It  bears  the 
mark  of  time  and  neglect,  but  its  thick  glazed-brick  walls 
are  in  a  g(K)d  state  of  preservation.  Its  frontage  of  fifty 
feet  affords  a  spacious  room  on  either  side  of  the  hall 
through  the  middle,  and  plain  as  is  its  exterior  its  parlor  is 
panelled  to  the  ceiling  and  has  fluted  pilasters  framing 
the  chimney-piece  and  deep  window  seats.  Tliomas  War- 
ren, who  built  it  in  16.54,  was  a  substantial  planter,  but  not 
one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  colony,  and  there  is  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  his  house  was  better  than  plenty  of 
others  of  its  time. 

Nearby,  on  the  ri\er  bluff,  are  traces  of  the  earthworks 
of  the  "  New  Fort  "  built  by  captain  Smith  as  a  place  of 
retreat  from  the  Indians  should  it  become  necessary  to 
abandon  .Iamesto^^^l. 

The  original  farm  was  given  by  the  Indian  king  to 
Thomas  Rolfe,  son  of  John  Rolfe  and  Pocahontas,  who 

6i 


HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  MANSION 

sold  it  to  Thomas  Warren.    "  Smith's  Fort  "  is  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  a  negro  farmer  and  his  family.'^ 

A  house  of  about  the  same  age,  though  its  exact  date  is 
not  known,  is  "  Parker  Place,"  an  early  home  of  the  Parker 
family,  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia.  It  is  interesting 
as  illustrating  another  type  of  dwelling  of  the  period — the 
hip-roofed  frame  house,  with  glazed-brick  gable-ends — and 
also  because  it  was  there  that  the  Governor  took  refuge 
when  he  fled  from  Jamestown  during  Bacon's  Rebellion. 

The  large  plantation  mansion  house  began  to  be  built 
toward  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  and  became 
more  numerous  in  the  eighteenth. 

"  Carter's  Creek,"  in  Gloucester  County,  the  earliest 
home  of  the  Burwell  family,  which  is  believed  to  have  been 
the  first  of  these,  met  the  fate  which  has  overtaken  so  large 
a  number  of  Virginia  country  houses — destiniction  by  fire 
— only  a  few  years  ago.  It  was  modelled  after  the  small 
English  manor  house  of  the  sixteenth  and  early  seven- 
teenth centuries,  frequently  styled  the  E -shaped  house,  and 
was  unique  in  America.  The  cornice  surrounding  its  walls 
under  the  eaves  and  the  tall,  clustered,  diamond-shaped 
chimneys  made  it  a  remarkably  elaborate  house  to  be  built 
in  a  wilderness.  On  one  of  the  chimney  stacks  appeared 
the  initials,  in  iron,  L.  A.  B. — standing  for  Lewis  and 
Abigail  Bm-well — and  the  date  1692,  which  probably  re- 
fers to  some  improvement,  as  the  house  is  believed  to  date 
from  an  earlier  year.  Those  who  remember  it  speak  of  its 
handsome  interior,  especially  of  a  detail  of  the  hall  decora- 
tion— wainscot  canned  to  represent  drapery  caught  at  the 
top  by  a  human  mask.  This  is  extremely  interesting  as 
it  was  probably  the  only  instance  in  America  of  the  use 

^  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  xxi,  210,  211. 

63 


COLONIAL   VIIKJIXLV,   LIS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

of  the  beautiful  "  linen-fold  "  panelling  introduced  into 
England  from  France  late  in  the  fifteenth  century,  enjoy- 
ing a  great  vogue  for  nearly  a  hundred  years,  and  rarely 
appearing  later. 

''  Carter's  Creek  "  plantation  was  an  extensive  one, 
situated  at  the  head  of  Carter's  Creek,  an  inlet  of  York 
Iliver,  and  in  easy  reach  of  the  colonial  capital,  where  the 
beautiful  daughters  of  the  house  shone  as  belles.  For  one 
of  these,  Rebecca  Burwell,  Thomas  Jefferson  sighed  in 
vain  and  confided  tlie  pitia])le  state  of  love-sickness  to 
which  he  was  reduced  in  letters  which  have  been  preserved, 
to  his  friend  John  Page,  of  "  Rosewell." 

Diu'ing  the  eighteenth  century  the  most  common  form 
of  mansion,  whether  of  brick  or  wood,  on  a  large  plantation 
was  the  square  I)uilding,  two  stories  high  with  or  without 
an  attic,  and  with  a  wide  hall — often  called  the  "  great 
hall  " — four  spacious  rooms  on  each  floor,  and  four  chim- 
neys. It  was  sometimes  flanked  ])v  wings  and  sometimes 
by  detached  out-buildings  used  for  oflice,  school-house, 
laundry  and  kitchen.  These  with  stable,  carriage  house 
and— a  little  farther  away,  wholly  or  in  part  hidden  by 
trees — the  negro  quarters,  consisting  of  log  cabins  set  in 
rows  or  scattered  about,  gave  the  place  the  appearance  of 
a  small  village. 

"  Anipthill,"  the  home  of  Archibald  Cary,  a  few  niiles 
])clow  Richmond,  and  "  Carter's  Grove,"  built  by  Carter 
lUnwt'll,  near  Williamsburg,  are  good  examples  of  brick 
houses  of  this  type  with  detached  buildings,  while  "  West- 
over  "  and  "  Eltham  " — the  seat  of  the  Bassetts  of  New 
Kent — have  attached  wings.® 

A  house  of  exceptional  type  with  square  brick  central 

*  See  pictures  in  liftiicaster's  *'  Historic  Va.  Homes  and 
Clnirihes,"  pages  78  and  HGi. 

64 


HOUSES  FROM  LOG -CABIN  TO  MANSION 

buildings  connected  by  curved  passage-ways  with  wings 
standing  away  to  the  front  and  forming  a  court,  is  "  Mt. 
Airy,"  near  the  Rappahannock — the  home  of  the  Tayloes, 
who  have  owned  and  occupied  it  for  two  hundred  years. 
"  Shirley,"  on  the  James — the  Carter  home  which  has  been 
the  roof-tree  of  one  family  for  an  equally  long  time — and 
"  Rosewell,"  on  the  York,  built  by  Mann  Page  in  1730 
and  destroyed  by  fire  in  1916,  had  similar  wings  originally, 
but  they  long  since  disappeared.  "  Rosewell "  had,  with 
these  wings,  a  frontage  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-two 
feet.  The  central  building  contained  fourteen  rooms 
twenty  feet  square  and  nine  rooms  fourteen  by  seven  feet. 
There  were  nine  passages,  and  the  "  great  hall "  and  hall 
over  it  were  each  large  enough  to  have  made  three  large 
rooms.  Much  of  this  space  was  occupied  by  the  grand 
stairway,  with  its  balustrade  of  mahogany  richly  carved  in 
fruits  and  flowers,  ascending  by  easy  flights  to  the  cupola, 
which  commanded  a  wide  view  of  York  River  and  the  sur- 
rounding country.  One  of  the  many  traditions  that  made 
"  Rosewell  "  interesting  had  it  that  in  this  cupola  Jef- 
ferson wrote  the  first  draft  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence while  on  a  visit  to  his  life-long  friend,  John  Page. 

The  main  building  at "  Rosewell  "  had  three  full  stories, 
besides  garrets  and  cellars. 

"  Warner  Hall,"  also  in  Gloucester,  the  home  of  the 
Warner  and  Lewis  families,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire 
but  has  been  rebuilt,  was  a  three-story  house,  with  wings, 
containing  twenty-five  rooms,  and  was  unusual  in  having 
a  roof  of  tiles — some  of  which  are  preserved  in  the  collec- 
tion of  the  Virginia  Historical  Society. 

Among  other  mansions  of  more  or  less  unique  char- 
acter were  H-shaped,  L-shaped,  and  T-shaped  houses  of 
both  brick  and  wood.    "  Stratford  "  on  the  Potomac,  the 

65 


COLONIAL  VIR(;iXLV,   ITS  PEOPLE   AND  CUSTOMS 

impressive  seat  of  the  Lees,  and  "  Tuckahoe,"  the  Ran- 
dolph home,  near  Richmond,  are  well-known  examples 
of  the  Il-shape  in  which  the  cross-bar  is  formed  by  a  large 
central  hall  connecting  two  long  wings.  "  Stratford  " 
and  its  outbuildings  are  of  glazed  brick,  wliile  one  wing 
and  some  of  the  outhouses  of  "  Tuckahoe  " — including  the 
tiny  one  in  which  Thomas  Jefferson  went  to  school — are 
of  wood. 

We  have  seen  Colonel  Byrd  "  pigging  "  in  frontier 
cabins,  let  us  peep  in  on  him  at  "  Tuckahoe  "  and  get  a 
picture  of  Colonial  Virginia  life  of  a  different  kind.  Bad 
weather  overtook  him  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  home- 
stead and  detained  him  several  days  as  the  guest  of  Mrs. 
Randolph,  widow  of  Thomas  Randolph.  The  lady  not 
only  "  smiled  graciously  "  upon  him  and  entertained  him 
**  very  handsomely,"  at  her  board,  but  confided  in  him 
the  tragical  story  of  her  daughter's  humble  marriage  and 
diverted  him  with  a  dish  of  gossip  of  "  how  the  parish 
minister  was  henpecked  by  his  wife  who  made  herself 
ridiculous  by  trying  to  be  a  fine  lady." 

Had  the  daughter  "  run  away  with  a  gentleman  or  a 
pretty  fellow  there  might  have  been  some  excuse  for  her 
though  he  were  of  inferior  fortune;  but  to  stoop  to  a  dirty 
plcl)cian  without  any  kind  of  merit!  " 

To  reward  this  obliging  hostess  for  her  varied  and 
spicy  entertainment  the  Colonel  read  to  her  and  her 
sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Fleming,  from  the  popular  "  Beggar's 
Opera."  And  so  the  rainy  days  and  evenings  on  the  re- 
mote plantation  were  worn  away. 

"  Chelsea,"  the  home  of  Bernard  Moore,  in  King  Wil- 
liam County,  is  a  fine  example  of  the  T-shaped  house.  A 
long  lii])-roofcd  dormer-windowed  building  forms  the  stem 
of  the  letter,  while  a  more  imposing  structure,  with  upper 

66 


HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  MANSION 

and  lower  porches,  provides  the  cross-bar  and  is  the  main 
building  of  the  mansion. 

Less  attractive  were  the  huge  weather-boarded  boxes, 
with  no  beauty  of  line  or  proportion,  but  often,  as  in  the 
case  of  "  Tazewell  Hall,"  the  Randolph  home  in  Williams- 
burg, and  "  Marmion,"  the  Fitzhugh  home  in  King 
George  County,  made  siu-prisingly  beautiful  within  with 
fine  carved  wainscoting  which  must  have  made  a  particu- 
larly becoming  setting  for  the  grandfather's  clock,  the 
corner  cupboard,  the  fireside  chair,  and  other  picturesque 
furnishings  of  the  day. 

In  The  Valley  of  Virginia  the  log  house  of  pioneer 
days  w^as  succeeded  by  small  stone  houses,  many  of  which 
still  remain,  and  besides  them  some  substantial  mansions, 
also  of  stone,  built  late  in  the  eighteenth  century.  Among 
these  are  "  Springdale,"  the  old  Hite  homestead;  "  Abra- 
ham's Delight,"  the  quaintly  named  house  of  the  Hollings- 
worths ;  and  "  Mt.  Zion,"  the  interesting  home  of  the 
Thrustons. 

The  eighteenth  century  house,  whether  in  the  low  coun- 
try or  in  the  mountains,  was  usually  entered  through  a 
small  square  porch  with  sloping  roof  whose  corner  sup- 
ports varied  from  a  simple  post  to  a  fluted  column. 

There  was  often  a  "  porch  chamber,"  built  over  the 
porch  or  adjoining  it  at  one  side. 

Sometimes  there  was  no  porch,  but  only  a  flight  of  steps 
leading  to  the  front  door — as  at  "  Stratford,"  where  the 
stone  steps  are  straight  and  steep,  or  at  **  Westover," 
where  they  are  semicircular  and  lead  to  a  stately  doorway 
with  a  carved  pineapple — emblem  of  hospitality — within 
a  broken  pediment,  above  it. 

Contrary  to  the  popular  impression,  the  pillared  portico 
generally  called  colonial  did  not  appear  until  just  before 

67 


COLONIAL  VIR(.IXL\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

the  Revolution  or  become  frequent  until  after  it.  Indeed, 
"Mt.  Vernon,"  "  Nomini  Hall"  (the  home  of  "Coun- 
cillor" Robert  Carter  in  Westmoreland),  and  "Sabine 
Hall,"  the  home  of  Landon  Carter  in  Richmond  County, 
are  among  the  few  colonial  examples  known.  "Xomini " 
has  long  since  disappeared,  but  a  full  description  of  it  is 
given  in  the  diary  of  Philip  Fithian,  tutor  to  the  Carter 
children,  as  it  was  in  1773. 

According  to  this  witness  it  was  a  two-story  house 
seventy-six  feet  long  and  forty-four  wide,  with  five  stacks 
of  chimneys  and  was  built  of  brick,  covered  with  white 
plaster.  It  had  a  large  portico  and  a  "beautiful  jut" 
supported  by  tall  colunms,  and,  as  it  stood  on  a  high  hill, 
could  be  seen  for  six  miles.  A  hundred  yards  from  each 
corner  of  the  house  stood  a  dormer-windowed,  forty-five 
by  twenty-seven  foot  building.  These  were  used  as  school- 
house,  laundry,  coach-house,  and  stable,  and  each  of  them 
formed  the  corner  of  a  square  of  which  the  "  great  house  " 
was  the  centre — a  plan  identically  like  that  of  "  Stratford." 
In  the  triangle  made  by  the  school-house,  Liundry,  and 
stable  was  a  "  bowling-green,"  levelled  for  the  popular 
game  of  bowls — or  ten-pins  as  we  would  call  it — and  laid 
out  in  rectangular  walks  paved  with  brick. 

In  front,  the  lawn — or  yard,  to  use  the  less  pretentious 
term  of  the  day — was  terraced,  and  an  avenue  of  poplars 
three  hundred  yards  long,  which  still  exists,  and  is  all  that 
is  left  of  beautiful  "  Nomini  Hall,"  led  to  the  road.  It  is 
easy  to  imagine  that  the  view  of  the  white  pillared  mansion 
through  this  green  aisle  was,  as  Fithian  pronounces  it, 
"  most  romantic." 

The  interior  arrangement  was  the  popular  one  of  four 
large  rooms  on  a  floor  with  a  wide  hall  through  the  centre. 
The  dining-room  "  where  we  usually  sit  "  and  the  children's 

08 


D 


oto   STiMTroira 


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PLAN  OF    'STRATFORD  •  HOUSE  AND  GROUNDS 


BOX  MAZE  IN  THE  GARDEN  AT  "TUCKAHOE" 


HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  MANSION 

dining-room  were  on  one  side,  while  the  "  study,"  contain- 
ing iSIr.  Carter's  fine  collection  of  books,  and  a  ballroom 
thirty  feet  long,  were  on  the  other.  Upstairs  were  Mrs. 
Carter's  chamber,  the  young  ladies'  chamber,  and  two  guest 
chambers.  The  tutor  and  boys  slept  in  chambers  in  the 
upper  story  of  the  school-house.  "  Nomini  "  must  have 
been  a  cheerful  abode,  for  Fithian  describes  the  great  num- 
ber of  windows  with  their  many  "  lights  "  to  flood  the  house 
with  sunshine  by  daj'',  and  the  abundance  of  candlelight  in 
the  evening ;  the  twenty-eight  fires  that  glowed  and  leaped 
in  open  chimneys  and  set  brass  fire-dogs  twinkling  in  cold 
weather ;  the  music  of  harpsichord,  violin,  flute,  and  guitar 
upon  each  of  which  one  or  more  of  the  family  played;  the 
frequent  treading  of  the  minuet  and  country  dances ;  merry 
games  in  which  old  and  young  took  part;  pleasant  gossip 
of  books,  and  of  public  and  neighborhood  affairs;  the 
coming  and  going  of  company,  and  an  always  bountiful 
board. 

In  the  Virginia  Gazette  of  1766  Lawrence  Taliaferro 
advertised  for  sale  a  plantation  on  the  Rappahannock  near 
Port  Royal,  upon  which  was  a  house  with  four  rooms  on 
the  first  floor  and  two  above,  and  wliich  had  a  twelve-foot 
porch  in  front,  and  at  the  rear,  facing  the  river,  a  portico 
fifty-two  feet  long  and  eight  wide. 

An  interesting  characteristic  of  the  colonial  house  was 
its  tendency  to  grow.  Families  grew  apace  in  those  good 
old  days,  and  witli  the  need  for  more  room  wings  thrown 
out  from  any  point  that  was  most  convenient  rambled  away 
with  charming  irregularity  of  line. 

The  first  mention  of  a  garden  in  Virginia  is  in  the 
"  Voyages  "  of  De  Vries,  a  Dutch  sea  captain  who  was 
at  Jamestown  in  1633.  He  describes  a  visit  to  "  Littleton," 
the  plantation  of  George  IMenifee  on  James  River  seven 

69 


COLONIAL  VIRGLNIA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

or  eight  miles  from  town,  and  its  two-acre  garden,  "  full 
of  Provence  roses,  apple,  pear  and  cherry  trees,  the  vari- 
ous fruits  of  Holland  with  different  kinds  of  sweet  smell- 
ing herbs  such  as  rosemary,  sage,  marjoram  and  thjTne." 

Few  remains  of  colonial  gardens  now  exist  and  in- 
formation regarding  them  is  meagre.  Robert  Beverley, 
the  historian,  writing  about  1700,  speaks  of  the  ease  with 
which  both  fruits  and  flowers  were  grown  in  Virginia  and 
especially  mentions  the  tulips,  the  "  perfection  of  flavor  " 
of  "  all  sorts  of  herbs  "  and  the  "  charming  colors  "  of  the 
humming  birds  revelling  among  the  blossoms ;  but  he  adds 
that  there  are  but  few  gardens  in  Virginia  that  he  con- 
siders worthy  of  the  name. 

In  the  Virginia  Gazette  of  1737,  Thomas  Crease,  gar- 
dener to  William  and  Mary  College,  advertises  garden 
pease,  beans,  and  other  seeds  and  also  a  choice  collection 
of  flower  roots  and  "  trees  fit  to  plant  as  ornaments  in 
gentleman's  gardens." 

"  The  circle,"  a  driveway  from  porch  to  gate  around 
each  side  of  a  large  or  small  circular  or  oval  plot  planted 
more  or  less  elaborately  in  trees,  shrubbery,  or  flowers,  was 
the  rule  with  Virginia  farmhouses  of  all  descriptions  before 
the  Revolution  and  long  afterward.  Beyond  this,  the 
more  ambitious  houses  had  lawns,  groves,  and  avenues  of 
trees  secluding  them  from  the  road.  At  "  Stratford  " 
there  was  an  oval  flower  plot  at  both  front  and  rear — the 
one  in  front  having  in  it  a  sun-dial. 

Other  favorite  details  of  the  colonial  garden,  whether 
terraced  or  level,  were  the  box-walk,  the  box-maze,  and  the 
rose-embowered  summer-house — botli  dwarf-box  and  tree- 
box  being  much  in  use.  A  dwarf-box  maze  at "  Tuckahoe  " 
and  one  at  Mt.  Vonion  may  still  he  seen.  Gone  is  the 
original,    ])cautiful   garden    at    **  Westover,"    praised   by 

70 


HOI  SES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  MANSION 

Chastellux  when  with  other  French  officers  he  visited  the 
Byrd  family,  soon  after  the  surrender  of  Yorktown,  but 
some  chmips  of  the  ancient  box-trees  have  survived,  and 
the  flower  garden  and  its  wall  have  in  late  years  been 
restored. 

Among  directions  for  the  "  Governor's  Pallace  "  in 
Williamsburg  it  was  ordered  that  the  flower  garden  behind 
the  house  as  well  as  the  courtyard  before  it  be  enclosed 
with  a  brick  wall  four  feet  high  with  a  balustrade  on  top. 

Sometimes  there  was  a  large  area  devoted  entirely  to 
flowers.  Again,  vegetable  gardens  would  have  walks  bor- 
dered with  flowers  or  the  first  terrace  of  a  "  falling  "  gar- 
den would  be  devoted  to  flowers  while  those  below  would 
contain  grape-arbors  and  vegetable  squares.  To  one  side 
or  below  it,  and  embowered  with  evergreen  shrubs  or  trees, 
was  often  the  family  graveyard. 

Fithian  frequently  mentions  pleasant  walks  with  the 
Carter  family  in  the  garden  at  "  Nomini."  On  March  16 
he  noticed  that  peas  were  up  two  or  three  inches,  cowslips 
and  violets  beginning  to  bloom,  the  English  honeysuckle 
was  in  leaf,  and  fig  and  apricot  trees  and  asparagus  beds 
began  to  give  promise  of  their  delightful  offerings. 

Colonel  B}Td,  in  his  "  Progress  to  the  Mines,"  writes  of 
the  garden  and  "  terrace  walk  "  at  Governor  Spotswood's 
home  at  Germanna,  and  George  Braxton's  letter  book  con- 
tains a  contract  with  a  man  whose  profession  was  "  the 
laying  out  of  ornamental  grounds,"  for  making  a  "  falling 
garden  "  and  bowling  green  at  "  Newington,"  "  accord- 
ing to  the  best  efforts  of  his  art." 

"  Ceelys,"  the  Cary  home  near  Hampton,  built  in  1706 
and  burned  by  negroes  soon  after  the  Civil  War,  and 
■"  Society  Hill,"  the  home  of  Francis  Thornton,  King 
George  County,  are  also  known  to  have  had  falling  gar- 
dens.   Among  gardens  some  of  whose  terraces  remain  are 

71 


COLONIAL  VIR(;iNL\,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

those  at  "  Sabine  Hall  "  and  "  Carter's  Grove,"  while  in 
*'  Mt.  Airy  "  garden,  in  which  in  Fithian's  time  stood  "  four 
large,  beautiful  marble  statues,"  may  still  be  seen  a  sunken 
bowling  green  and  a  picturesque  ruin  which  was  once  a 
conservatory.  The  terraced  court-yard  with  its  stone  balus- 
trade in  front  of  the  "  Mt.  Airy  '  house,  and  the  approach 
through  a  deer  park,  make  the  grounds  unusually  elaborate, 
and  at  botli  "  Sabine  Hall  "  and  "  Brandon,"  the  storied 
James  River  home  of  the  Harrison  family,  a  park,  shaded 
with  splendid  trees,  stands  between  the  house  and  the  road. 
The  flower  garden  at  "  Brandon  "  is  justly  famous.  It 
stretches  from  the  rear  entrance  of  the  house  to  the  river 
and  is  unbroken  by  terraces,  but  with  its  broad  "  grass 
walk  "  hedged  with  old-fashioned  perennials  of  every  kind, 
its  spaces  of  bloom  and  spaces  of  greensward,  its  masses 
of  shrubbery,  its  magnolia,  mimosa,  smoke,  and  other  orna- 
mental trees  and  its  charming  water  view,  it  is  a  place  to 
dream  in  and  to  dream  about. 

Did  the  Colonial  Virginia  carpenters  bring  their  skill 
in  woodwork  from  England  or  did  they  acquire  it  after 
they  came  over?  It  is  impossible  to  answer,  but  certain 
it  is  that  tliey  were  artists — though  doubtless  unconscious 
ones — and  their  masterpieces  in  cornices,  wainscoting,  man- 
tels, and  doorways  deserve  a  place  in  the  annals  of  xVmeri- 
can  art.  In  a  great  number  of  houses  small  and  large, 
brick  and  frame,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
period  were  rooms  and  halls  panelled  to  the  ceiling,  chim- 
ney-pieces and  cornices  of  chaste  design,  graceful  arch- 
ways and  ])alustrades,  fluted  pillars  and  pilasters — gen- 
erally of  pine  or  cedar,  painted  white. 

In  a  few  of  the  greater  mansions  the  wood  used  was 
maliogany  and  the  carving  correspondingly  rich,  but  the 

78 


By  courtesy  of  Macmillan  tt  Company 

K-SHAPED  P:NGLISH  MANOR  HOUSE 


J^v.i^T*^^;^^^'-^-'!:.:^"'''- 


"CARTEK  S  (REEK,'  GLOUCESTER  COUNTY 
Originally  an  E-shnped  house 


P         HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  ]\IANSION 

sumptuous  mahogany  balustrade  and  panelling  at  "  Rose- 
well  "  and  the  richly  carved  doorways  and  cornices  at 
"  Shirley  "  are  not  more  surprising  than  the  artistic  work 
to  be  found  in  far  smaller  houses  such  as  "  Toddsbury," 
the  early  home  of  the  Todds  and  Tabbs  of  Gloucester — an 
ancient,  wee  homestead  with  a  beautiful  interior — to  name 
one  of  the  many. 

The  interesting  old  Xelson  House,  at  Yorktown,  has  a 
spiral  staircase  built  between  the  walls,  winding  from  the 
cellar  to  the  top  story,  whose  entrance  to  each  floor  is 
concealed  in  the  panelling,  and  "  Xomini  Hall  "  is  also  said 
to  have  had  a  secret  stairway.  Sometimes  panelling  made 
possible  a  secret  closet  such  as  one  discovered  but  a  few 
years  ago  at  "  Brandon  ";  while  an  interesting  feature  of 
"  Stratford,"  is  a  secret  room  concealed,  not  behind  wain- 
scoting, but  within  a  cluster  of  four  massive  chimneys. 

Although  wood  panelling  and  carving  were  the  almost 
universal  decoration  for  walls  of  houses  which  aspired  to 
anything  more  aesthetic  than  whitewashed  plaster,  tapestry 
was  not  unknown,  for  the  inventory  of  Colonel  Francis 
Eppes  shows  that  in  1679  he  had  "  a  suit  of  tapestry  hang- 
ings "  valued  at  £l8  17/  at  liis  home  in  Henrico  County, 
then  on  the  frontier,"  and  in  1683,  William  Fitzhugh,  of 
Stafford  County,  ordered  through  his  London  agent  a 
suit  of  tapestry  hangings  for  a  room  twenty  feet  long,  six- 
teen wide,  and  nine  high.  Another  letter  mentions  his 
"  three  rooms  hung  with  tapestry\" 

When  the  Governor's  Palace,  in  Williamsburg,  was 
built  and  furnished,  in  1710,  one  of  the  special  orders  was 
that  the  "  great  room,"  in  the  second  story,  be  hung  with 
gilt  leather.® 

'  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  i,  121. 
®  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  xvii,  37. 

73 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

There  were  a  few  houses  with  ceilings  ornamented  with 
molded  and  tinted  plaster  or  papier  mache — the  most  nota- 
ble example  being  the  extremely  ornate  ceiling  in  the  parlor 
at  "  \N'estover." 

Wall-paper  made  its  appearance  in  Virginia  about  the 
i  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  earliest  I  have 
found  was  imported  by  George  Washington  for  Mt.  Ver- 
non in  17.37.  In  September,  1709,  a  Williamsburg  mer- 
chant announced  in  the  Virginia  Gazette  that  he  had  "  just 
imported  from  London  a  choice  collection  of  the  most  fash- 
ionable paper  hangings  for  rooms,  ceilings,  and  staircases, 
and  in  December  of  the  same  year  James  Kidd,  upholsterer, 
of  Williamsburg,  advertised  that  he  was  prepared  to  "  hang 
rooms  with  paper  or  damask." 

The  correspondence  of  Robert  Carter  of  "  Xomini  " 
with  London  merchants  shows  that  he  had  in  his  Williams- 
burg house  three  parlors  hung  with  papers  whose  descrip- 
tions have  quite  a  modern  sound.  One  of  these  was  "  crim- 
son colored,"  another  white  with  a  pattern  of  large  green 
leaves,  while  the  third,  with  which  the  best  parlor  was  hung, 
was  blue  covered  with  large  yellow  flowers.^ 

A  room  was  often  called  after  the  color  of  its  hangings 
and  this  is  occasionally  indicated  in  inventories,  as  in  that 
of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Digges,  who,  in  1601,  left  furniture  in 
a  "  yellow  roome,"  a  "  large  roome  over  against  ye  yellow 
roome,"  and  a  "  red  roome,"  '"^  while  the  inventory  of 
Colonel  John  Tayloe,  of  "  ]NIt.  Airy,"  made  in  1747,  men- 
tions "  the  green  room,"  and  that  of  John  Spotswood,  1758, 
"  the  blue  room." 

Interiors  were  given  added  charm  by  the  cozy  window 
seats  which  thick  walls  afforded,  and  great  chimney-pieces 

"  Glenn's  "  Colonial  Mansions,"  266. 
'0  Wm.  and  Mary  College  Quarterly,  i,  208.    • 

74 


•.'  •  i      • 


HOUSES  FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  MANSION 

wliich  projecting  into  the  room  formed  deep  recesses  on 
either  side.  Some  of  these  were  left  open  and  lighted  with 
many-paned  windows,  with  the  usual  inviting  seats,  others 
filled  with  built-in  cupboards  with  wooden  or  latticed-glass 
doors.  Some  of  the  older  houses  had  corner  fireplaces,  a 
few  of  which  were  tiled. 

Rooms  oftenest  mentioned  by  name  were  the  hall,  the 
parlor,  the  parlor  chamber,  the  porch  chamber,  the  room 
over  the  parlor  chamber,  the  hall  room,  the  shed  room, 
garrets  and  closets.  The  principal  bedroom  was  occupied 
by  the  mistress  of  the  house,  and  the  importance  with  which 
it  was  regarded  is  shown  by  the  names  by  which  it  was  fre- 
quently called — "  the  chamber  "  or  "  the  lady's  chamber." 
The  inventory  of  Ralph  Wormeley  of  beautiful  "  Rose- 
gill,"  in  Middlesex,  made  in  1701,  names,  with  various  other 
rooms,  the  lady's  chamber,  the  room  over  the  lady's  cham- 
ber, the  nursery,  and  "  the  "  old  "  nursery. 

The  omission  of  a  dining-room  in  many  inventories 
indicates  the  use  of  the  hall,  which  was  parlor  too  in  houses 
too  small  to  have  a  room  kept  for  company,  like  that  of 
Arthur  Allen,  of  Surry,  whose  inventory,  made  in  1711, 
mentions  furniture  in  the  chamber,  room  over  the  chamber, 
the  hall,  room  over  the  hall,  east  garret,  west  garret,  porch 
garret,  cellar,  entry,  and  pantry ;  and  that  of  William  Fox, 
of  Lancaster,  which  according  to  his  inventory  had  in 
1718  a  hall,  a  hall-chamber,  hall  closet,  porch-chamber, 
chamber  above  stairs,  and  kitchen.  The  "  chamber  above 
stairs  "  was  doubtless  a  shelving-roofed,  dormer-windowed 
room. 

Another  of  the  many  inventories  describing  furniture 
in  houses  which  were  evidently  of  the  quaint  and  popular 
stor}^-and-a-half  type  is  that  of  Thomas  Willoughby,  of 

^^  William  and  Mary  College  Quarterly,  ii,  170. 

75 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Norfolk  County,  which  in  1713  names  a  parlor,  a  parlor- 
chanibcr,  hall,  hall-chamber,  porch-chamber,  garret  over 
the  parlor-cliamber,  and  frarret  over  the  hall-chamber. 

Twice  since  Virginia  ceased  to  be  "  his  ^lajesty's  Col- 
ony "  has  it  been  a  battle-ground.  From  Jamestown  to 
the  Kevoliition,  and  long  afterward,  it  was  a  rural  district — 
its  homes,  standing  apart  from  each  other  in  plantations 
small  or  large,  or  here  and  there  in  a  straggling  village 
which  ambitiously  styled  itself  a  city,  have  been  at  the 
mercy  of  every  spark  which  a  wanton  breeze  could  fan  into 
a  Hame,  and  changes  of  ownershij:)  following  death  or  de- 
cline in  fortune  have  caused  household  goods  to  be  scattered 
far  and  wide. 

And  so  it  happens  that  to-day  but  a  small  percentage 
of  these  homes  and  an  extremely  small  percentage  of 
their  equipment  remain;  yet  so  rich  in  information  about 
them  are  the  old  wills  and  inventories  that  but  little  effort 
of  the  imagination  is  required  to  recreate  them  completely 
furnished. 


Ill 
HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


FURNITURE 

lO  the  heart  of  the  Virginian  precious 
were  the  stui-dy  furniture  of  the  oak 
age,  or  the  later  walnut  and  mahog- 
any, and  the  good  linen,  pewter, 
brass  or  silver  "  out  of  England  " 
for  which,  through  a  London  agent, 
he  had  exchanged  his  crop  of  tobacco 
and  which  had  come  over  sea  to  serve  him.  Whether  this 
furniture  was  carved  or  plain,  it  was  made  to  endure,  and 
in  his  will  he  carefully  divided  it  out  for  the  use  of  his 
**  heirs  forever." 

It  was  natural  that  in  a  new  country  where  life  was 
hard  at  best,  a  good  bed  upon  which  to  lay  down  one's 
weaiy  bones  was  a  possession  of  first  importance,  and  "  my 
feather  bed  "  or  "  my  feather  bed  and  furniture  " — mean- 
ing the  bedstead,  bed-clothing,  tester,  curtains,  valance  and 
all  the  paraphernalia  then  supposed  to  belong  to  a  proper 
bed — was  not  only  among  the  most  frequent  bequests,  but 
a  prized  heirloom. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Shakespeare  left  his  second 
best  bed  to  his  wife.  The  Virginian  made  a  better  hus- 
band, for  he  almost  invariably  left  his  best  feather-bed 
to  his  wife  and  his  second  best  to  a  favorite  child  or  friend. 
For  instance,  in  1719  Orlando  Jones,  of  Williamsburg, 
bequeathed  to  his  wife  his  best  feather-bed  and  furniture, 
and  to  his  daughter  his  next  best  feather-bed  and  fm'niture,^ 
and  in  1711,  Joseph  Ball,  of  Lancaster,  left  his  wife  his 
"  feather-bed,  bolsters  and  all  furniture  thereto  belonging," 
and  his  daughter  JMary,  the  mother  of  Washington,  "  all 

^  William  and  Mary  Quarterly,  viii,  191. 
6  77 


COLONIAL   M]((;L\IA,   ITS  PKOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

the  feathers  in  the  kitchen  loft  to  be  put  in  a  bed  for  her." 
Wliether  the  best  bed  stood  in  a  chamber  on  the  first 
floor,  "  over  against  the  parlor,"  or  in  a  dormer-windowed 
"  room  above  stairs,"  and  whetlier  its  sheets  were  of  ozna- 
burgs,  dowlas  or  fine  Ilolhind,  plain — as  most  of  them 
were — or  trimmed  with  "  Elgin  lace  ",  like  those  left  by 
James  Sampson,  of  Isle  of  Wight,  in  1689;  whether  its 
curtains  were  chintz  or  kidderminster — like  those  of 
Thomas  Jefferson,  great-grandfather  of  the  immortal 
Thomas — or  yellow  silk — like  those  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Digges,  whose  descendants  living  to-day,  in  Virginia  and 
outside  of  it,  are  legion — such  a  bed  nmst  have  made  an 
apj)caHng  j)ictui'e.  Tlie  apartment  in  which  it  stood, 
whether  the  one  room  of  a  log-cabin  or  the  "  lady's  cham- 
ber" of  a  mansion,  was  of  generous  proportions,  for  it  was 
intended  to  accommodate,  not  an  individual,  but  a  family, 
if  necessary,  and  not  only  did  the  "  great  bed  "  stand  high 
off  of  the  floor  to  make  room  for  the  trundle-bed  which 
was  rolled  under  it  during  the  day  and  out  again  at  the 
children's  bedtime,  but  often  there  were  one  or  two  more 
large  beds  in  the  room.  In  the  inventory  of  Philip  Smith, 
of  Northumberland,  1724,  fifteen  bedsteads  are  appraised, 
and  that  of  Clement  Reade,  of  Lunenburg,  shows  that  he 
left,  in  1765,  twelve  beds  "  and  furniture." 

Less  highly  esteemed  than  the  downy  feather-bed 
was  the  "  flock-bed,"  stuffed  with  bits  of  wool  or  cotton 
or  with  rags.  Yet  it,  too,  was  of  sufiicient  value  to  be 
handed  down  by  will.  In  1652  Thomas  Gibson  left  his 
daughter  his  "  best  flock-bed  with  rug,  bolster  and  pillow 
and  the  fine  pair  of  Holland  sheets." 

Red  coverings  were  important  items  and  handsome 
imported  quilts,  or  quilts  of  her  own  handiwork,  among 
the  housewife's  treasures.      In  the  inventory  of  ISIajor 

78 


HOUSEHOLD  C.OODS 


Peter  Walker  of  Northampton  County,  made  in  1655,  we 
find  "  a  coverlid  of  tapestry,"  cambric  sheets  and  an  "  East 
Indian  quilt."  JNlrs.  Nicholas  Morris  deeded  to  her  son 
in  1665  property  including  "  one  bed  covering  with  Queen 
Elizabeth's  amies  thereon,"  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wormeley 
left  in  1702  "  a  crimson  satin  quilt."  Home-made  quilts 
were,  of  course,  far  more  plentiful,  for  quilt-making  was  a 
favorite  occupation  and  pastime  of  women  of  every  class. 
George  Lee  in  his  will,  1761,  left  one  of  his  sons  the  quilt 
'*  worked  by  his  mother." 

Another  comfort  for  the  bed  in  constant  use  was  the 
warming-pan  to  take  the  chill  from  the  sheets. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  bed  was  the  chest  in  all  its 
forms,  from  the  plain  or  carved  wooden  box  which  served 
the  double  purpose  of  seat  and  receptacle  for  clothing,  to 
the  chest  of  drawers  with  or  without  a  dressing-glass  top- 
ping it,  or  hung  above  it,  to  be  found  in  large  numbers  in 
wills  and  inventories.  Late  in  the  period  it  began  to  put  on 
airs  and  to  appear  under  the  Frenchified  name  of  bureau. 

It  was  natural  that  a  people  so  fond  of  dress  as  our 
transplanted  Londoners  should  have  valued  looking- 
glasses,  and  they  were  brought  over  in  a  variety  of  styles. 
In  addition  to  the  dressing-glass  of  the  chamber,  the  "  chim- 
ney-glass "  and  "  great  looking-glass  "  were  used  in  any  or 
every  room. 

Chairs  were  rare  in  England  until  about  the  time  of 

the  settlement  of  Jamestown.    In  earlier  days  there,  only 

the  master  of  the  house  or  the  distinguished  guest  was 

given  a  chair ;  less  important  persons  sat  on  benches,  settles, 

or  stools.    The  first  chairs  were  ponderous  things  of  oak 

with  solid  square  backs — which  were  often  panelled  and 

gave  them  the  name  of  "  wainscot  chairs  " — solid  wooden 

seats  and  heavy  under-bracing.    Later  came  the  chair  made 

79 


COLONIAL  VIIIGL\L\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

also  of  oak,  and  often  elaborately  carved — of  the  high, 
narrow  back  with  a  panel  of  cane  set  in  and  a  cane  seat; 
the  niil-back  and  splat-l)ack  chair — witli  seat  upholstered 
with  leather  or  Turkey  work — and  finally  the  light  and 
graceful  Chippendale  and  Sheraton  and  the  plainer  but 
worthy  rush-bottom  and  Windsor  chairs. 

Since,  then,  the  chair  was  still  something  of  a  novelty 
in  the  mother  country,  it  is  not  surprising  that  during  early 
settlement  days  it  was  a  rarity  in  Virginia  and  that  home- 
made stools,  benches,  and  settles  were  in  general  use. 

The  first  chair  in  America  of  which  there  is  any  record 
is  the  green  velvet  one  in  which  Lord  Delaware  sat  in 
Jamestown  Church.  Probably  the  next  is  the  "  Wainscott 
chaire  "  bequeathed  in  1G23,  by  John  Atkins  of  James- 
town, to  his  friend  Christopher  Davison,  Secretary  of  the 
Colony.^ 

Absence  of  Virginia  wills  and  inventories  for  the  first 
half  of  the  seventeenth  century  makes  information  con- 
cerning jDcrsonal  belongings  extremely  vague,  but  we  may 
be  sure  that  with  the  passing  of  the  log-cabin  as  the  dwell- 
ing of  the  man  of  property,  passed  the  home-made  seat — 
the  stool  and  bench  became  the  poor  man's  and  the  fron- 
tiersman's chair  as  the  log-cabin  was  his  home.  The  ear- 
liest existing  records  of  such  things  show  that  there  were 
soon  chairs  in  great  number  and  variety  in  homes  of  the 
l>etter  class.  There  were  great  chairs,  small  chairs,  high- 
back  chairs,  low-back  chairs,  arm-chairs,  elbow  chairs,  plain 
wooden  chairs,  Russia  leather  chairs,  Turkey-work  chairs, 
willow  chairs,  cane  chairs,  Dutch  chairs,  silk  chairs,  silver- 
stufT*  chairs,  but  no  rocking  chairs.  As  the  log-cabin  was 
called  the  Virginia  house,  the  rocking  chair  might  well  be 
called  the  ^'ankee  chair,  for  it  was  evidently  not  known 

^  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  xi,  164. 

80 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


until  a  later  day  when  some  ingenious  New  Englander  with 
more  eye  for  comfort  than  beauty  invented  it  to  make 
future  generations  sit  down  and  call  him  blessed. 

Inventories  which  remain  show  that  Major  Peter 
Walker  of  Northampton  County  left  as  early  as  1655  six 
leather  chairs,  three  Dutch  chairs  and  "some  willow  chairs" ; 
Colonel  John  Carter  of  Lancaster  County,  in  1679,  fifteen 
Turkey-work  and  twenty-one  leather  chairs,  also  eight 
Turkey-work  cushions;  George  Nichols,  of  Isle  of  Wight 
County,  in  1677 — among  other  interesting  possessions — 
"  a  great  joyned  chair,"  evidently  a  wainscot  chair.  There 
is  no  way  of  ascertaining  the  age  of  these  or  other  pieces 
of  furniture,  as  there  is  no  record  of  how  long  they  had  been 
in  the  possession  of  their  owners,  but  frequently  the  ap- 
praisers specify  that  they  were  "  old." 

A  few  examples  of  chairs  taken  at  random  from  a  mass 
of  eighteenth  century  inventories,  from  scattered  sections, 
may  prove  of  interest.  Colonel  William  Churchill,  of 
Middlesex  County,  left  in  1714  four  wooden,  twelve 
Turkey-work,  twelve  Russia-leather  chairs  and  a  "  great 
green  "  chair;  Peter  Presley,  of  Northmnberland  County, 
in  1719,  eighteen  leather  chairs;  Matthew  Hubard,  of 
York  County,  in  1745,  twelve  "  high  back  leather"  ones; 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stanard,  widow  of  William  Stanard,  of 
Middlesex,  in  1747,  ten  high-back,  two  low-back,  and 
twelve  cane  chairs,  and  a  cane  couch;  Clement  Reade,  of 
Lunenburg  County,  in  1765,  nineteen  rush-bottom  and 
twenty-five  leather  chairs. 

John  Fontaine,  describing  in  his  diary  a  visit  to  Robert 
Beverley,  at  his  home  "  Beverley  Park,"  in  1716,  says: 

"  He  hath  good  beds  in  his  house  but  no  curtains  and 
instead  of  cane  chairs  he  hath  stools  made  of  wood." 

81 


COLONIAL  MIU;TXL\,  ITS  PLOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

This  was  evidently  a  simplieity  of  life  that  was  con- 
spicuously unusual. 

The  chair  commonly  called  "  roundabout "  was  cer- 
tainly familiar  in  Vir^rinia,  for  a  number  of  them  still  re- 
main, though  not  under  that  name.  It  was  probably  the 
"  elbow  chair  "  of  the  wills  and  inventories.  Fit  companion 
for  the  stately  canopied  four-poster,  frequently  called  the 
"  great  bed,"  was  the  winged  fireside  chair,  or  "  great 
chair." 

The  popular  Turkey-work  upholstery  was  imported 
into  England  from  the  Orient  in  proper  sizes  for  chair 
bottoms.  Turkey  carpets,  too,  were  plentiful  in  England 
and  Virginia  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries, 
though  they  were  not  found  on  the  floor,  save  in  rare  in- 
stances when  they  were  laid  beside  or  around  the  bed,  but 
were  used  as  table-covers.  Pictures  of  interiors  by  the 
seventeenth  century  Dutch  painters  show  tables  of  various 
sizes  covered  with  these  beautiful  carpets  often  reaching 
to  and  sweeping  the  floor — their  weight  and  richness  of 
color  clearly  indicated — and  they  explain  the  frequent 
mention  in  a  Virginia  will  of  a  "  table  with  carpet  of  Tur- 
key-work." 

To  quote  a  few  of  the  many  examples,  Mrs.  Amory 
Butler,  of  Kappahannock,  left  in  1073 — along  with  a 
"great  looking-glass,"  "  an  oval  table,"  "  a  napkin  press," 
and  other  things  which  indicate  refinement  of  living  and 
easy  circumstances — *'  a  Turkey  carpet,"  while  in  the  in- 
ventory of  Edward  Digges,  of  York,  1()02,  we  find  two 
Turkey-work  carpets  besides  nine  Turkey-work  chairs 
and  a  Turkey-work  ccnich. 

From  an  order  of  Court  in  1641,  enumerating  articles 
reserved  for  the  widow  of  Captain  Adam  Thoroughgood, 
gf  Lower  Norfolk  County,  we  may  learn  what  was  con- 

8i 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


ceived  to  be  "  a  fit  allowance  "  for  furnishing  the  chamber 
of  a  gentlewoman  of  means  at  that  early  day.  The  lady 
was  given  "  one  bed  with  blankets,  rugs,  and  the  furniture 
thereunto  belonging;  two  pairs  of  sheets  and  pillow-cases; 
one  table  with  carpet ;  table-cloth  and  napkins ;  knives  and 
forks;  one  cupboard  and  cupboard  cloths;  six  chairs,  six 
stools,  six  cushions;  six  pictures  hanging  in  the  chamber; 
one  pe^vter  basin  and  ewer;  one  warming  pan;  one  pair 
of  andirons  in  the  chimney;  one  pair  of  tongs;  one  fire 
shovel;  one  chair  of  wicker  for  a  child."  The  cupboard 
was  to  contain  the  following  pieces  of  silver:  "  One  salt 
cellar,  one  bowl,  one  tankard,  one  wine-cup,  one  dozen 
spoons."  ^ 

Very  fortunate  was  this  lady  in  being  the  proud  pos- 
sessor of  forks,  for  these  novelties  were  scarce  even  in 
England. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  chamber  was  the  dining- 
room  or  hall,  whose  principal  pieces  of  furniture  besides 
chairs  were,  of  course,  the  table  and  the  cupboard.  The 
earliest  tables  were  like  the  benches  and  stools,  hasty,  home- 
made affairs,  and  it  is  likely  that  they  often  consisted  of 
boards  laid  upon  trestles  at  meal  time  and  set  aside  when 
not  in  use,  after  a  time-honored  English  custom  from  which 
the  term  "  the  board,"  meaning  the  dining-table,  was  de- 
rived. The  inventory  of  a  small  planter  of  Lower  Norfolk 
County  shows  that  he  left,  in  1643,  a  "  table  frame  and  two 
planks." 

Dining,  serving,  and  tea  tables  appear  plentifully  in 
the  wills  and  inventories  later  in  the  seventeenth  century 
and  throughout  the  eighteenth.  Colonel  John  Carter  of 
Lancaster  left  in  1670  "  six  Spanish  tables." 

Among  housewives  wlio  could  boast  of  a  drawing  table 

3  Va.  Mag.  Hist.  andBiog.,  ii,  416,  417. 

83 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

was  Mrs.  Amory  Butler,  who  left  one  in  her  will,  in  1673.* 
This  interesting^  piece  of  furniture — the  first  form  of  ex- 
tension table — had  slabs  at  each  end  which  could  be  folded 
under  when  not  in  use  and  drawn  out  and  supported  by 
wooden  braces  upon  occasion. 

Styles  of  cupboard  frequently  mentioned  are  the  corner 
cupboard  and  the  court  cupboard — a  short,  tall  cupboard 
with  a  closet  below  and  open  shelves  for  the  display  of 
table  service  above.  Among  early  owners  of  court  cup- 
boards was  George  Nicholls,  as  his  bequest  of  one  in  1677 
proves.*^ 

In  1732  Colonel  Thomas  Jones,  of  Williamsburg, 
settled  on  his  wife,  with  other  property,  quite  a  complete 
equipment  for  a  dining-room — including  a  comer-cup- 
board on  which  stood  seven  punch  bowls — "  all  of  which 
things,"  says  the  deed,  "  are  now  in  a  room  of  the  dwelling 
of  said  Thomas  Jones  called  the  Hall,  and  most  of  them 
are  part  of  the  usual  furniture  of  the  hall."  ® 

The  inventory  of  Ambrose  Fielding  of  "  Wickocomoco 
Hall,"  made  in  1674,  gives  us  quite  a  clear  picture  of  the 
interior  of  a  well-furnished  seventeenth  century  home 
whose  rooms,  though  they  were  doubtless  large  ones,  num- 
bered only  five — three  of  which  were  downstairs,  two 
above."  The  "greate  room,"  which  was  evidently  the  hall, 
had  in  it  a  "  long  dining  table,"  a  serving  table,  a  small 
table,  fourteen  rush-bottom  chairs,  two  chests,  a  cupboard, 
a  pair  of  andirons,  a  bottle  case  and  bottles,  a  supply  of 
linen,  earthenware,  glass,  and  pe>\'ter,  two  brass  candle- 
sticks, a  brass  kettle,  a  brass  mortar  and  pestle,  spoons  of 

*  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  iii,  65. 
°  V»i.  MafT,  Hist,  and  Bio^.,  v,  286. 
"  Jones  Papers,  Library  of  Congress. 
'  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Blog.,  xiv,  205,  207. 

84 


PATRICK  HENRYS  "ELBO\V   CHAIR' 


CHli'l'ENUALE  CHAIR 
Owned  by  the  Virginia  Historical  Society 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


silver  and  of  *'  alchemy,"  a  silver  bowl  and  drinking  vessels 
of  silver  including  a  tankard  and  two  tumblers  marked 
with  the  Fielding  arms.  There  were  also  in  this  dining 
hall  a  fowling  piece,  a  musket,  two  pistols,  a  rapier,  and  a 
hanger. 

"  Ye  parlor  chamber  "  contained  a  "  great  bedd,"  with 
curtains  and  valance  lined  with  silk,  damask  tester,  silk 
counterpane,  linen  sheets,  a  feather-bed  and  blankets;  a 
leather  chair,  a  silk  chair,  a  "  carved  chest  with  locks  and 
keys,"  a  pewter  basin  and  ewer,  a  looking-glass,  a  warming 
pan,  a  brass  candlestick,  an  ivory  comb,  two  clothes 
brushes.  The  two  upper  chambers  were  more  plainly  and 
scantily  furnished. 

In  the  parlor  were  an  oval  table,  a  small  table,  seven 
Turkey-work  and  three  Russian  leather  chairs,  a  silk  chair, 
a  Dutch  carved  chair,  a  tapestry  couch,  a  court  cupboard, 
some  books — including  a  large  Bible — a  Turkey  carpet,  a 
pair  of  brass  andirons,  a  pair  of  silver  candlesticks,  four 
family  portraits  and  three  other  pictures. 

"  Wickocomoco  Hall  "  was  in  Northumberland,  one 
of  the  counties  of  the  Northern  Neck  of  Virginia,  far  from 
the  little  James  River  metropolis,  or  from  any  other  town. 

Among  handsome  novelties  to  be  found  in  eighteenth 
century  parlors  were  Alexander  Spotswood's  two  japanned 
chests  on  castors,  japanned  tea-table  and  six  walnut  chairs 
with  silver-stuff  covers — all  of  which  appear  in  his  inven- 
tory, made  in  Orange  in  1740.  Japanned  tables  and  cabi- 
nets were  to  be  found  in  a  good  number  of  houses  at  this 
period,  and  at  about  the  same  time  the  escritoire,  or  "  scru- 
toire  "  as  it  was  often  called,  became  a  popular  piece  of 
furniture  for  the  parlor  and  other  rooms.  For  instance, 
Francis  Eppes,  of  Henrico,  in  1733,  bequeathed  to  an 
heir  his  "  scrutoire  standing  in  the  parlor  made  of  black 

85 


COLONIAL   MR(iINL\,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

walnut  with  glass  doors,"  in  174<6  Henry  Lee,  of  West- 
moreland, left  one  of  liis  sons  an  "  escritoire  made  of 
mahogany,"  while  in  the  inventory  of  John  \Voo(lbridge, 
of  Richmond  County,  1769,  we  find  a  "  desk  and  bookcase 
witii  glass  doors." 

As  time  went  on  and  fortunes  and  houses  became 
larger,  correspondence  between  the  Virginia  planters  and 
I^ondon  niercliants,  as  well  as  other  records,  bear  witness 
that  furniture  and  manners  became  more  luxurious. 

Of  course  it  was  to  be  expected  that  the  house  pro- 
vided for  the  royal  governor  would  be  in  keeping  with  the 
dignity  of  his  office  as  the  king's  representative  in  Vir- 
ginia, but  the  orders  of  1710  for  the  equipment  of  the 
"  l*allace  "  in  Williamsburg  seem  surprisingly  fine  for  so 
early  a  day.  The  orders  specify  three  dozen  "  strong 
fashionable  chairs,"  three  large  tables,  three  large  looking- 
glasses  and  four  chimney  glasses  for  the  lower  apartments. 
Also  "  one  marl)le  buffette  or  sideboard  with  a  cistern  and 
fountain." 

The  "  great  room  "  in  the  second  story  was  to  be  fur- 
nished with  gilt  leather  hangings  and  sixteen  chairs  to 
match,  two  large  looking-glasses  with  the  arms  of  the  Col- 
ony on  them  "  according  to  the  new  mode,"  two  small 
tables  to  stand  under  the  looking-glasses,  two  marble  tables 
and  eight  glass  sconces.  A  large  looking-glass  was  ordered 
for  the  largest  of  the  bed-cliambers,  four  chimney  glasses 
for  tlie  other  cliambcrs  and  a  "  great  lanthorn  "  for  the  hall.® 

The  "  great  looking-glass  "  was  a  favorite  ornament  for 
tlic  j);irlor  of  the  well-to-do  Virginian,  of  both  tlie  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries,  and  it  appears  over  and 
over  again  in  wills  and  inventories,  (ieorge  Xicholls  left 
one  in  1(577.    Col.  William  Hyrd,  writing  in  his  "  Progress 

*  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Iii()<;.,  xvii,  JJT. 

80 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


to  the  !Mines  "  of  a  visit  to  Governor  Spotswood,  in  1732, 
says:  "  I  was  carried  into  a  room  elegantly  set  off  with 
pier  glasses." 

John  Hunter,  of  Williamsburg,  left  in  1760,  with  a 
house  full  of  fine  furniture,  in  oak,  walnut,  and  mahogany, 
a  gilt  pier  glass  and  gilt  sconces,^  and  at  about  the  same 
date  Councillor  Carter  of  "  Nomini  "  ordered  from  Lon- 
don, for  his  splendidly  equipped  town  house  in  Williams- 
burg, a  "  great  looking-glass  "  four  by  six  and  a  half  feet — • 
"  the  glass  to  be  in  many  pieces  agreeable  to  the  present 
fashion."  The  house  had  marble  hearths,  and  stairway- 
candles  in  wrought  brass  sconces  with  glass  globes. ^"^ 

Especially  interesting  is  an  order  from  Washington  to 
a  London  merchant  showing  the  style  in  which  he  fitted  up 
^It.  Vernon  in  1757.  He  was  then  Colonel  Washington — 
with  the  laurels  won  in  the  French  and  Indian  War  still 
fresh — a  bachelor  and  a  beau.  It  was  two  years  before 
he  won  a  bride,  but  his  mind  was  running  on  matrimony 
and  it  is  more  than  likely  that  in  importing  furnishings 
for  the  principal  chamber  in  his  house  he  was  indulging  in  a 
dream  which  doubtless  came  true  of  its  becoming  some  day 
his  bridal  chamber.  He  elected  to  make  it  a  yellow  room 
and  ordered  for  it  "  a  mahogany  bedstead  with  carved  and 
fluted  pillars  and  yellow  silk  and  worsted  damask  hang- 
ings ;  window  curtains  to  match ;  six  mahogany  chairs,  with 
gothic  arch  backs  and  seats  of  yellow  silk  and  worsted 
damask,  an  elbow  chair,  a  fine  neat  mahogany  serpentine 
dressing  table,  with  a  mirror  and  brass  trimmings,  a  pair  of 
fine  carved  and  gilt  sconces." 

For  the  parlor  he  ordered  a  marble  chimney-piece  and 
"  a  neat  landskip  "  to  hang  over  it.     In  1759  he  ordered 


^  William  and  Mary  Quarterly,  viii,  147. 
^^  Glenn's  "  Colonial  Mansions,"  266. 

87 


COLONIAL  VIRGLMA,   ITS  PEOPLE   AND   CUSTOMS 

"  two  wild  beasts  not  to  exceed  twelve  inches  in  length," 
and  "  sundry  small  ornaments  for  the  chimney-piece."  The 
London  agent  sent  "  a  groupe  of  iEneas  carrying  his 
Father  out  of  Troy,"  a  Flora,  a  Bacchus,  two  vases  with 
faces  and  festoons  of  grapes  and  vine  leaves,  "  all  neatly 
finished  and  bronzed  with  copper/'  and  suggested  that  the 
jiEneas  group  be  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  chimney- 
piece,  the  vases  on  either  side  of  it  and  the  Flora  at  one 
end,  the  Bacchus  at  the  other.  He  also  sent  two  lions 
"  bronzcxl  with  copper  after  the  antique  Lyons  in  Italy," 
and  assured  Colonel  Washington  that  "  of  all  the  wild 
beasts  as  could  be  made  there  is  none  thought  better  than 
the  Lyons." 

And  now  appear  floor  coverings.  In  the  ship  that 
brought  the  outfit  for  the  yellow  chamber  came  Wilton 
carpets,  wall  papers,  bed  and  window  curtains  of  blue 
chintz  for  a  nmch  simpler  room,  and  also  fifty  yards  of 
best,  yard  wide,  royal  matting.*'  Councillor  Carter  had 
Wilton  carpets  in  his  Williamsburg  house  a  year  or  two 
later,  and  some  time  before  the  Revolution  Colonel  George 
William  Fairfax  had  at  "  Belvoir,"  near  ^It.  Vernon,  a 
"  large  Wilton  Persian  carpet." 

"  Belvoir "  contained  many  other  items  of  interest, 
among  them  the  equipment  of  Colonel  Fairfax's  dressing 
room.  In  it  were  an  oval  glass  in  a  burnished  gold  frame, 
a  mahogany  shaving  table,  a  mahogany  desk,  four  chairs 
and  covers,  a  mahogany  settee-bedstead  with  Saxon  green 
covers,  a  mahogany  Fembroke  table,  tircdogs,  shovel,  tongs 
and  fender.  *' 

In  a  letter  from  William  Nelson,  of  York,  to  ^lessrs. 


"  Mt.  \'ornon  Inventory.     Preface. 

'-'*  Barons  of  the  Potoinjic  nnd  Rnppnhannock,"  M.  D.  Con- 
way, 218. 

88 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


Thomas  and  Rowland  Hunt,  merchants,  of  London,  in 
1772,  he  says: 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  elegant  mahogany 
cistern  as  well  as  the  convenience  to  presei've  the  gravy 
warm,  but  do  you  observe  that  these  elegancies  are  so  many 
incitements  to  luxury  to  which  Virginians  are  but  too 
prone."  ^^ 

Robert  Beverley,  the  historian,  writing  of  the  Vir- 
ginians about  the  year  1700,  says: 

"  They  are  such  abominable  ill  husbands  that  though 
their  country  be  filled  with  wood,  yet  they  have  all  their 
woodenware  from  England,  their  cabinets,  chairs,  tables, 
stools,  chests,  cart-wheels,  and  all  other  things,  even  so 
much  as  their  bowls  and  birchen  brooms  to  the  eternal 
reproach  of  their  laziness." 

Beverley  must  have  been  referring  to  the  wealthier 
planters,  for  there  were  after  the  earliest  years  numbers 
of  carpenters  in  Virginia  among  slaves,  indentured  servants 
and  free  men.  A  quantity  of  homely  but  serviceable 
furniture  was  made  by  them,  and  later  plenty  of  good  pieces 
were  of  colonial  workmanship. 

In  a  list  of  articles  to  be  sold  in  a  private  house  in 
Williamsburg  in  1768  the  Virginia  Gazette  advertises 
"  sundry  tables  and  chairs  of  wild  cherry."  These  and 
the  chests  of  drawers  and  other  articles  of  cheriy  men- 
tioned in  w^ills  and  inventories  were  doubtless  of  Virginia 
wood— and  make. 

In  1766,  "  B.  Bucktrout,  cabinet-maker  from  London," 
announced  in  the  Gazette  that  he  was  doing,  in  his  shop 
in  Williamsburg,  "  all  kinds  of  cabinet-work  in  the  newest 
fashions,"  and  could  furnish  "  the  mathematical  gouty 
chair,"  and  in  1769  a  Norfolk  merchant  advertised  that  he 

^^  William  and  Mary  Quarterly,  vii,  29. 

89 


COLOXLVL  MllGIXIA,  ITS  PP:OPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

had  just  received  a  cargo  of  "  choice  mahogany  and  log- 
wood." 

In  1770  a  Willianisbiu'g  cabinet-maker  named  Atwell 
made  two  bedsteads,  tliree  tables,  and  a  dozen  Windsor 
chairs  for  "Councillor  "  Carter,  and  in  1772  Bucktrout 
made  him  "eight  mahogany  chairs  and  four  elbow  chairs."^* 

In  the  absence  of  details  in  regard  to  the  work  of  these 
early  cabinet-makers  we  can  only  conjecture  that  they 
used  English  furniture  as  patterns  and  we  are  supported 
by  Bucktrout's  promise  to  reproduce  the  London  fashions. 
Chippendale  and  Sheraton  were  the  fashion  there,  and 
nmch  of  such  Colonial  Virginia  furniture  as  remains  shows 
the  influence  of  these  famous  designers. 

That  Virginia  occasionally  patronized  the  cabinet- 
makers of  other  colonies  is  shown  by  an  annomicement  in 
the  Gazette  in  January,  1739,  that  the  sloop  Ruth,  of 
Rhode  Island,  had  entered  York  River  with  "  four  cases 
of  drawers,  four  desks  and  other  tilings." 

Though  watches  of  gold  and  of  silver  were  plentiful 
in  Virginia  from  quite  an  early  day,  clocks  were  rare  until 
the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  centur\',  when  they  added  an 
attractive  as  well  as  useful  detail  to  the  equipment  of  the 
"  great  hall."  One  of  the  earliest  appearing  in  the  inven- 
tories is  that  of  Ralph  Wormeley,  of  ^liddlesex,  in  1701. 
Among  other  owners  of  clocks  in  different  parts  of  the 
colony  were  Henry  Lee,  of  Westmoreland,  who  bequeathed 
one  to  a  son  in  1746;  James  Ball,  of  Lancaster,  to  whose 
clock  his  grandson.  Burgess  Ball,  fell  heir  in  1754;  Mat- 
thew Ilubard,  of  York,  whose  clock  was  appraised  at 
six  })()unds  sterling  in  174.5;  and  ^Nlrs.  Ann  ^lason,  of 
Stafrord,  who  left  one  worth  twelve  pounds  in  1702. 

In  March.  1708,  the  Virginia  Gazette  advertised  a  lot- 

"  Carter  Papers,  i,  98-129. 

90 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


tery  for  disposing  of  furniture  belonging  to  James  Hamil- 
ton, including  "  an  eight-day  clock,"  and  in  1766  James 
Gait,  "  clock  and  watch-maker,  and  jeweler,"  of  Williams- 
burg, announced  through  the  same  medium  his  intention 
to  remove  to  "  Shockoe,  near  Richmond  town,"  where  he 
"  would  keep  clocks  in  repair  by  the  year  at  reasonable 
rates." 

In  striking  contrast  to  the  state  of  ease  and  polite  living 
to  which  people  of  means  in  eastern,  and  older,  Virginia 
had  arrived  by  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  was  the 
condition  of  the  settlers  across  the  mountains.  It  was  in 
1716  that  Governor  Spotswood  and  his  "  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Horseshoe  "  made  their  memorable  journey  to  the 
top  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  white  men  looked  upon  the 
beautiful  Shenandoah  Valley  for  the  first  time.  Long 
before  that  explorers  and  traders  had  blazed  their  way  in 
the  southwest  to  a  point  some  distance  past  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Roanoke;  but  when  Washington  was  fur- 
nishing his  best  chamber  at  Mt.  Vernon  with  carved 
mahogany  and  yellow  damask  ''  The  Valley  "  was  still  in 
the  pioneer  stage,  the  dwellers  in  its  cabins  contending  with 
difficulties  like  to  those  with  which  the  early  settlers  at 
Jamestown  were  familiar,  including  fear  of  the  Indians. 
After  the  beginning  of  the  French  and  Indian  War  they, 
too,  had  palisaded  forts  to  which  the  people  could  flee  for 
refuge ;  but  it  was  more  difficult  to  haul  furniture  through 
wood  and  stream  and  over  mountains  than  to  bring  it  across 
seas  in  sailing  vessels,  and  no  wonder  the  log  cabins  of  The 
Valley  were  even  more  scantily  supplied  with  conveniences 
of  living  than  had  been  those  at  Jamestown. 

Waddell,  the  well-known  historian  of  Augusta  County, 
tells  us  that  these  homes  were  for  the  first  fifteen  years  or 
more,  hardly  better  furnished  than  the  wigwams  of  the 
Indians,  and  that  while  most  of  their  owners  had  horses, 

91 


COLONIAL  MRC;i\L\,   ITS   PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

cattle,  and  Bibles,  their  minute  inventories  mention  no  fur- 
niture. Kercheval  in  his  "  Historj'  of  the  Valley,"  draws 
a  similar  picture.  Instead  of  "  feather-beds  and  furniture," 
these  sturdy  folk  had  pillows,  bolsters,  and  bed-ticks  filled 
with  straw  or  chafF,  laid  on  the  floor  or  on  rude  home-made 
bedsteads,  and  it  seems  that  these  and  such  tables,  stools, 
and  ])enches  as  necessity  must  have  compelled  them  to  knock 
up  were  not  deemed  worth  appraisement. 

Tliey  had  linen  brouf^ht  by  the  Scotch-Irish  emigrants 
from  their  own  country — one  of  whom,  Jean  Bohannon, 
in  1747,  be(iueathed  her  daughter  ^largaret  "the  table- 
clotli  brouglit  from  Ireland";  but  not  untiP^  1749  does 
the  first  table  found  in  the  records  by  Mr.  Waddell  appear. 
This  was  the  property  of  Patrick  Cook,  who  had  also  two 
table-cloths,  seven  chairs,  three  beds,  a  looking-glass, 
wooden  trenchers  and  dishes,  one  knife  and  two  forks. 
Joseph  Walton  and  Samuel  Cunningham  each  had  knives 
and  forks  two  years  before  this,  and  Cumiingham  had  nine- 
teen pewter  spoons  and  four  pewter  dishes.  It  was  the 
custom  in  The  Valley,  as  in  Eastern  Virginia,  to  keep 
})ewter  on  hand  for  the  moulding  of  table-ware,  and  many 
spoon  moulds  are  mentioned.  In  1751  David  Flournoy 
left  a  dozen  2)ewter  plates. 

In  1762  Delft  ware  appears  in  The  Valley  inven- 
tories. The  good  man  is  now  becoming  tlu'ifty,  the  good 
wife  nuist  have  sonicthing  in  which  to  keep  her  treasured 
plates  and  dishes,  and  so,  in  17(54,  we  find  a  corner  cupboard. 
Perhaps  this  was  made  by  George  Inglebird,  the  clever 
carpenter  employed  by  John  I..atham,  in  1766,  to  make 
him  a  table  "  with  four  divisions  in  the  drawer,"  and  a 
bedstead.'"    Chests  of  drawers  and  other  comforts  to  make 

^^  Chalkley's  Augusta  Records,  iii,  7. 
*«  Chalklcy's  Augusta  Records,  i,  473. 

02 


A    -(.HKAI     Hi;i) 


SOME  OF  THE  "SHIRLEY"  SILVER 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


glad  the  heart  of  the  housewife  made  their  appearance 
about  the  same  time,  and  some,  like  John  Hall,  who  died 
in  1767,  had  coffee-pots.  In  1769  Thomas  Beard  be- 
queathed his  wife  an  elbow  chair,  and  by  this  token  of 
leisure  we  know  that  the  prosperity  ^'  for  which  nature 
destined  The  Valley  had  set  in,  the  log-cabin  age  was  soon 
to  be  followed  by  the  stone-house  age  and  bareness  to  give 
place  to  comfort. 

The  housewife  of  the  older  settlements  was  rich  in  table 
and  bed  linens  of  various  kinds  and  qualities.  At  a  time 
when  forks  were  expensive  rarities,  napkins  were  necessary 
for  keeping  their  predecessors  in  handling  food  fairly  clean. 
Almost  every  inventory  save  those  of  the  extremely  poor 
has  its  list  of  linen,  and  even  the  planter's  wife  of  moderate 
means  had  a  good  store  of  Holland  or  its  cotton  substitutes 
— dowlas,  canvas,  and  oznaburgs. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Beasley,  of  Surry,  seems  to  have  been 
especially  well  equipped  in  this  line.  In  1677  she  com- 
plained that  she  had  lost  during  Bacon's  Rebellion  the  year 
before  "  twenty- two  pairs  of  fine  dowlas  sheets,  six  pairs 
of  Holland  sheets,  forty-six  pillow  cases,  twenty-four  fine 
napkins,  two  tablecloths  and  thirty-six  towels,  most  of  them 
fine  dowlas."  ^® 

There  was  no  china  in  use  in  the  earliest  days  of  the 
colony.  Wooden  trenchers  and  pewter  plates,  dishes  and 
liquor-vessels,  with  a  tankard  or  two  of  the  more  precious 
silver — which  were  passed  around  with  happy  unconscious- 
ness of  possible  germs — made  up  the  table  service.  The 
inventory  of  William  Stafford  shows  that  he  left,  in  1644, 
eleven  pewter  dishes,  four  pewter  porringers,  and  one  pew- 
ter flagon,  and  in  1670  the  wealthy  John  Carter,  of  Lan- 

^"  Chalkley's  Augusta  Records. 
^8  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  v,  372. 
7  93 


COLONIAL  VmCINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

caster  County,  left  a  hundred  and  ten  pounds  of  the  "  best 
sort  of  pewi;er,"  sixty  pounds  of  the  "  middle  sort  of  pew- 
ter," and  five  pounds  of  "  old  broken  pewter." 

Table  knives  were  in  use,  but  scarce,  in  the  earlier  time, 
but  as  every  man  had  his  own  knife  in  his  pocket,  the  lack 
was  not  seriously  felt.  Later,  among  the  prosperous,  ivory 
handled  knives  and  forks  like  the  dozen  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Stanard,  of  Middlesex,  silver  forks  and  "  silver  hafted  " 
knives  like  the  "  dozen  in  a  case  "  of  ^lajor  Harry  Turner, 
of  King  George  County,  put  the  pocket  knife — and  fingers 
— out  of  commission  as  table  implements. 

Early  in  the  eighteenth  century  china  began  to  appear 
in  good  quantities.  Edmund  Berkeley,  of  Middlesex,  left 
in  1718,  two  china  bowls,  two  sets  of  fine  china  teacups  and 
saucers,  eleven  chocolate  cups  and  saucers,  a  china  teapot, 
a  sugar  dish  of  china  and  one  of  glass,  and  a  china  tea- 
canister.  Numbers  of  inventories  from  this  time  on  include 
china  and  glass  in  various  quantities  from  a  "  parcel  of 
earthenware  "  to  complete  equipment.  Attractive  items 
from  the  collection  in  the  well  furnished  house  of  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Stanard  are  a  dozen  delft  soup  plates,  a  dozen 
shallow  delft  plates,  a  dozen  large  delft  bowls. 

In  a  country  where  it  was  often  necessary  to  provide 
entertainment  for  a  hungry  traveller  or  a  party  of  hungry 
travellers  on  short  notice,  the  kitchen  furniture  was  vastly 
important.  Kettles  of  copper  and  of  brass  and  "  great  iron 
])()ts  "  appear  frequently  as  heirlooms,  and  inventories  show 
pantry  and  kitchen  appointments  of  varying  degrees,  from 
those  of  a  poor  man  of  early  date  who  had  only  an  oven,  a 
pot,  a  skillet,  two  knives,  two  forks,  two  tea-cups,  and  two 
saucers,  to  those  of  Philip  IvIkIwcII  of  liis  Majesty's  Coun- 
cil. This  gentleman  had,  in  the  late  rich  years  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  at  historic  "  Greenspring,"  where  Sir  Wil- 

\  9i 


f 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


liani  Berkeley,  from  whom  the  Lud wells  inherited  it,  had 
kept  open  house  for  the  Cavaliers,  the  following  aids  in 
the  exercise  of  hospitality : 

Twenty-two  blue  and  white  china  dishes,  seven  and  a 
half  dozen  blue  and  white  china  plates,  eleven  red,  white,  and 
gilt  china  dishes,  thirty-seven  red,  white,  and  gilt  china 
plates,  five  red,  white,  and  gilt  bowls,  eleven  blue  and  white 
bowls,  tliree  sets  of  red,  white,  and  gilt  cups  and  saucers, 
two  sets  of  blue  and  white  cups  and  saucers,  one  set  of 
white  cups  and  saucers,  fourteen  chocolate  cups  and  sau- 
cers, eight  brown  cups  and  two  tea-pots,  seven  decanters, 
eight  fruit  bowls,  thirty-nine  finger  bowls,  fifteen  glass 
tumblers,  four  glass  salts,  six  cruits,  two  mustard  pots. 
Also,  cider  glasses,  wine  glasses,  strong  beer  glasses,  jelly 
glasses,  glass  salvers.  Also,  blue  and  white  earthenware, 
stone  sweet-meat  pots,  lead  chocolate  moulds,  tart-moulds, 
ivory  knives  and  forks,  dessert  knives  and  forks,  sweet-meat 
knives  and  forks,  tea-spoons,  tea-boards,  tea-chests  and 
canisters,  coffee  and  chocolate  pots,  a  coffee  roaster  and 
toaster,  a  coffee  mill,  copper  kettles,  tea-kettles,  fish- 
kettles,  and  "other  kettles  ";  a  copper  cooler,  brass  chafing 
dishes,  pewter  plates,  hot-water  plates  and  dishes,  plate- 
baskets  and  hampers,  nut-crackers,  pie  and  cheese  plates, 
sifters,  flat-irons  and  stands,  a  mortar  and  pestle,  milk 
pans,  butter  pots,  pot-hooks;  pot-racks,  spit-racks,  a  roast- 
ing jack,  a  Dutch  oven,  frying  and  dripping  pans,  pre- 
serving, sauce  and  stew-pans,  ladles,  skimmers,  and  graters, 
bell-metal  skillets,  gridirons,  trivets,  flesh-forks,  pickle- 
pots,  spice  mortars,  and  so  forth. 

The  inventory  shows  that  the  rest  of  Colonel  Ludwell's 
house  was  as  well  equipped  as  his  kitchen  and  pantry  and 
that  he  had  what  doubtless  added  much  to  his  comfort  there 

95 


COLONIAL  \1RGL\L\.  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

in  the  neighborhood  of  swampy  Jamestown,  "  mosquito 
curtains."  ''* 

Among  household  equipments  of  families  of  all  degrees 
was  the  powdering  tub,  used  in  salting  meat.  The  cooking 
of  rich  and  poor  was  done  on  the  wide  hearth  of  the  great- 
chinmey,  in  which  himg  the  pot-hooks  and  hangers  and  the 
roasting  jack. 

PLATE 

John  Hammond,  who  spent  a  good  many  years  in 
Virginia,  and  wrote  *'  Leah  and  Rachel  "  about  the  middle 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  said  in  that  quaint  pamphlet 
that  there  was  a  good  store  of  silver  in  the  homes  of  many 
of  the  planters,  but  absence  of  records  for  the  earliest  years 
and  destruction  of  many  of  the  later  ones  w^ill  always  make 
anything  like  a  complete  list  of  silverware  in  the  colony 
impossible.  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  there  w\is  an  amaz- 
ing quantity  of  plate  in  use,  varying  from  the  precious 
little  collection  of  the  small  planter  who  left  each  child  a 
spoon,  to  the  owners  of  great  estates  whose  silver  was 
appraised  at  from  one  hundred  to  over  six  hundred  pounds 
sterling.  I  find  in  my  own  incomplete  notes  names,  with 
dates,  of  nearly  two  hundred  owners  of  silver — sixty-odd 
in  the  seventeenth  century  and  the  rest  in  the  eighteenth. 

The  earliest  plate  of  any  kind  in  the  American  colonies 
was  of  course  the  Communion  Sen'ice  of  Jamestown 
Church.  Doubtless  Lord  Delaware,  with  his  noble  rank 
and  his  regard  for  the  amenities  of  life,  brought  table 
silver  when  he  came  out  as  governor  in  1609,  and  very  likely 
Sir  Thomas  Gates  and  Sir  Thomas  Dale  would  have  felt 
it  necessary  to  their  dignity  as  kniglits  and  governors  of 
his  Majesty's  first  colony  to  be  so  provided,  but  we  have 
no  proof  that  they  were. 

"  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  xxi,  416,  416. 


GOVERNOR  SPOTSWOODS  SILVKR   I  K A  (  ADUY 
With  his  arms  and  crest 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


The  first  family  silver  of  which  this  witness  has  seen 
record  is  that  of  Sir  George  Yeardly,  who,  dying  in  1627, 
left  all  liis  plate  to  his  wife,  Lady  Temperance  Yeardly. 

Sir  George  was  said  to  have  brought  only  his  sword 
with  him  on  his  first  coming  to  Virgina,  in  1609,  as 
"  George  Yeardly,  gentleman,"  but  in  1618  when  during  a 
visit  to  England,  he  was  knighted  and  commissioned  as 
Governor  of  the  colony,  an  enemy  wrote  of  him  that  "  he 
flaunted  it  up  and  down  the  street  with  extraordinary 
bravery,  with  fourteen  or  fifteen  fair  liveries  after  him." 

John  Por}%  Speaker  of  the  famous  First  Legislature 
in  America — convened  by  Governor  Yeardly  in  1619 — 
writes  in  that  year  that  when  Sir  George  "  and  his  lady  " 
were  last  in  London  he  was  able  "  out  of  his  mere  gettings  " 
in  Virginia  to  spend  nearly  three  thousand  pounds  to  fur- 
nish him  for  the  return  voyage.  It  is  likely  that  the  plate 
bequeathed  Lady  Temperance  was  brought  over  then. 

This  indefinite  bequest  of  "  all  my  plate  "  to  a  single 
heir,  or  to  be  divided  among  heirs,  so  often  appearing  in 
the  wills,  is  extremely  tantalizing,  but  in  many  cases  pict- 
uresque items  are  named.  Among  the  earliest  of  the  re- 
maining inventories  is  that  of  John  Lanckfield,  of  Lower 
Norfolk  County,  a  man  of  moderate  means  who  left,  in 
1640,  a  silver  dram  cup  and  a  silver  spoon. 

When  the  estate  of  Captain  Adam  Thoroughgood,  also 
of  Lower  Norfolk,  was  divided  in  1642,  it  included,  with 
other  silver,  two  dozen  spoons  and  two  small  bowls,  and  the 
widow  **  did  claim  them  as  a  gift  given  her  by  her  brothers. 
Sir  John  Thoroughgood,  Knt.,  and  Mr.  Thomas  Thor- 
oughgood at  her  marriage  with  their  brother  Captain 
Thoroughgood."  This  is  doubtless  the  earliest  reference 
to  silver  as  a  wedding  present  in  America. 

To  quote  a  few  of  the  earliest  wills  which  have  been 

97 


COLONL\L  VIRGINIA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

preserved,  in  1641  Anthony  Barham,  of  Warwick  County, 
bequeathed  his  god-daughter  Sarah  Butler,  daughter  of  hia 
"  friend  and  gossip,  Wilham  Butler,"  30  sliillings  to  buy 
a  wine  cup;  in  1643  William  Burdett,  gentleman,  of 
Northampton  County,  left  his  son  Thomas  "  the  silver 
sjjoons  with  his  name  engraved  on  them,"  and  in  1653 
George  Ludlow,  of  York  County,  left  to  one  friend  "  my 
great  silver  tankard  with  my  arms  on  it,"  and  to  another 
the  "  silver  tankard  lately  brought  in." 

As  far  out  of  the  world  as  were  the  Virginians  they 
thought  nmch  of  keeping  in  the  fashion.  In  1655  Colonel 
Richard  Lee  took  some  of  his  plate  to  London  to  have  its 
fashion  changed.  There  was  a  law  against  exporting  silver 
from  England,  and  when  he  was  about  to  embark  on  his 
homeward  voyage  the  customs  officers  at  Gravesend  seized 
liis  "  trunk  of  plate,"  but  on  his  affidavit  that  it  was  all 
intended  for  his  own  use  and  that  most  of  it  had  been 
brought  from  Virginia  a  year  and  a  half  before,  and  that 
every  piece  had  his  coat-of-anns  on  it,  it  was  given  back 
to  him."*^  The  inference  is  that  silver  which  had  become 
old-fashioned  must  have  been  here  some  time. 

The  iMcCartys,  at  their  coming  to  Virginia,  about  1660, 
brought  quite  an  array  of  silver  with  them  from  Ireland. 
A  handsome  collection,  most  likely  the  same,  appears  in  the 
will  of  Captain  Daniel  McCarty,  of  Westmoreland  County, 
in  1724,  and  nuich  of  it  came  down  in  direct  line  to  the  late 
Captain  AV.  Page  ISIcCarty,  of  Richmond.  He  was  the 
happy  possessor  of  twelve  tankards,  six  salt  cellars,  a  tea 
urn,  and  a  sugar  dish — all  engraved  with  the  INIcCarty  arms 
and  some  of  it  bearing  the  date  1620.-^ 

Hannah  Fox  was  one  of  the  most  fortunate  young 

2"  Lee's  "Lee  of  Virplnin,"  21. 
^'  Ilaydcn's  Va.  Gcnealoipcs,  85. 

98 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


women  of  her  time.  In  1662  her  father,  David  Fox,  of 
Lancaster  made  a  deed  to  take  effect  after  his  death,  giving 
her  all  the  plate  with  which  he  was  "  then  possessed  withal  " 
— namely,  three  dozen  large  silver  spoons,  one  large  sylla- 
bub dish  with  a  cover,  a  tankard  and  a  caudle  cup,  each 
holding  a  quart,  a  sugar  dish  in  the  form  of  a  scallop  shell, 
an  engraved  fruit  dish  with  a  foot,  a  plain  fruit  dish,  a 
large  salt  cellar,  two  small  ones  and  one  trencher  salt,  two 
"  large,  substantial  "  porringers,  a  wine  bowl,  a  sack  cup, 
a  large  dram  cup,  a  basin  holding  a  gallon,  a  plain  caudle 
cup  with  three  legs. 

During  Bacon's  Rebellion  in  1676  some  of  his  soldiers 
seized  the  house  of  Mr.  Arthur  Allen,  in  Surry  County, 
and  fortified  it,  and  it  has  ever  since  been  known  as 
"  Bacon's  Castle."  According  to  a  deposition  after  the 
Rebellion,  one  of  the  men  was  veiy  inquisitive  about  Mr. 
Allen's  plate,  "  importuning  the  deponent  to  tell  where  it 
was  hid,"  ^^  which  suggests  that  silver  plate  was  supposed 
to  be  found  in  a  gentleman's  house. 

Interesting  bequests  made  by  Mrs.  Katherine  Isham 
in  her  will  made  in  1686  and  sealed  with  the  Isham  arms, 
are  her  "  best  silver  tankard,"  her  "  next  best  silver  tank- 
ard," her  "  small  silver  tankard,"  her  "  biggest  silver  tank- 
ard but  one,"  her  "  largest  silver  porringer,"  and  her  "  great 
silver  cup."  ^^ 

Novelty  characterizes  the  description  of  plate  be- 
queathed by  James  Sampson  of  Isle  of  Wight,  in  1689. 
He  gave  his  daughter  Margaret  a  silver  bowl  and  two  vnne- 
cups,  "  one  with  a  foot  and  the  other  with  a  bulge,"  and 
three  silver  spoons  "  with  nobs  at  the  ends."  ^* 


22  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  v,  370. 

23  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  iv,  124. 

2*  William  and  Mary  Quarterly,  vii,  245. 

99 


COLONIAL   VIRCJNIA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

William  Fitzhugh,  of  Stafford,  had  a  great  quantity  of 
plate  bearing  his  arms,  which  he  bought  not  only  for  its 
useful  and  ornamental  qualities,  but  because  he  believed  it 
to  be  a  safe  investment  for  his  children.  In  a  letter  to  a 
London  merchant  in  1690,  acknowledging  the  safe  receipt 
of  a  lot  of  silver,  he  says  it  arrived  "  just  in  time  for  a  sev- 
eral days'  visit  from  the  Governor."  His  will,  made  in 
1700,  disposes  of  fifty-eight  pieces  of  massive  silver  table 
service,  besides  spoons — including  nineteen  plates,  three 
bread  plates,  eight  dishes,  a  set  of  castors,  a  "  Montieth," 
seven  candlesticks,  two  pairs  of  candle  snuffers  with  stands, 
and  a  chocolate-pot,  and  it  is  believed  that  he  had  already 
given  many  pieces  to  his  children. 

Beer  and  wines  were  on  every  table — hence  the  popu- 
larity of  tankards  and  wine  cups.  With  the  use  of  tea  and 
coffee,  toward  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  silver 
tea  and  coffee  pots  make  their  appearance  in  the  records 
and  become  numerous  thereafter.  In  1710  ^Irs.  Elizal)eth 
Churchill,  of  Middlesex,  bequeathed  with  much  other  plate 
to  her  daughter  Elizabeth  a  silver  tea-kettle  and  tea-kettle 
stand,  and  in  1733  the  will  of  Captain  Francis  Eppes,  of 
Henrico,  with  a  good  supply  of  silver,  including  a  "  large 
flowered  tankard,"  names  a  teapot.  The  beautiful  tea- 
caddy  of  Governor  Spotswood,  bearing  arms,  is  still  in 
existence. 

An  advertisement  in  the  Maryland  Gazette  for  silver 
stolen  from  the  house  of  Mr.  Thomas  Eee,  of  Virginia,  in 
1728-20,  mentions  among  the  missing  pieces  a  chocolate- 
pot,  a  teapot,  and  a  coffee-pot. 

During  tlie  prosperous  eighteenth  centuiy  there  was, 
naturally,  a  great  increase  in  the  (juantity  of  silver  brought 
to  A'irginia.  A  cherished  handful  of  teaspoons  took  the 
shine  ofl'  of  the  i)ewter  in  a  large  number  of  little  farm- 

100 


HOUSEHOLD  GOODS 


houses,  while  in  the  "  great "  houses  of  the  large  planta- 
tions the  soft  light  of  wax  candles  fell  on  cuphoards  and 
newly  acquired  and  new-fashioned  sideboards  sparkling 
with  plate  of  goodly  weight  and  elegant  design. 

In  1769  the  silver  plate  at  "  Westover  "  was  valued  at 
six  hundred  and  sixty-two  pounds.  It  included  an  epergne 
worth  fifty  pounds  and  many  other  fine  pieces.  The  com- 
plete list  is  worth  quoting  in  full  and  here  it  is :  "  An 
epergne,  a  pitcher  and  stand,  a  bread  basket,  ten  candle- 
sticks, a  snuffer  stand,  a  large  cup,  two  large  punch  bowls, 
two  coffee  pots,  six  cans,  a  sugar  dish,  a  sugar  basket,  two 
sauce  boats,  eight  salt  cellars  and  spoons,  two  sets  of  castors, 
a  cruet,  a  large  waiter,  two  middle  sized  waiters,  four  small 
castors,  a  cream  boat,  four  chaffing  dishes,  a  tea  kettle,  a 
*  reine,'  two  pudding  dishes,  a  fish  slice,  a  sucking  bottle, 
a  large  sauce-pan,  a  punch  strainer,  a  punch  ladle,  a  soup 
ladle,  a  small  sauce-pan,  four  ragout  spoons,  two  large 
sauce  spoons,  three  marrow  spoons,  seven  dozen  knives  and 
six  dozen  and  eleven  forks,  eleven  old-fashioned  table- 
spoons, four  dozen  best  large  tablespoons,  two  dozen  dessert 
spoons,  three  pairs  of  tea  tongs,  two  tea  strainers,  one  mus- 
tard spoon,  one  dozen  new  teaspoons,  eleven  second  best 
teaspoons,  six  camp  teaspoons,  seven  old  teaspoons,  five 
children's  spoons,  a  large  camp  spoon,  two  small  camp 
spoons,  a  camp  cup,  a  broad  candlestick."  ^^ 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  silver  spoons 
appeared  in  small  numbers  in  The  Valley,  where  as  early 
as  1746  Katherine  Green  was  charged  with  stealing  a  silver 
plate  from  "  David  Kinked,  joiner,  and  wife."  -® 

From  this  it  would  seem  that  making  tables  and  chairs 
was  a  thrifty  trade  in  those  parts. 


2^  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  ix,  81,  82. 
**  Chalkley's  Augusta  County  Records,  i,  431. 

101 


IV 

SOCIAL  LIFE 


I— THE  HOME 

HE  vast  majority  of  Virginians 
througliout  the  colonial  period  were 
country  people,  born  and  bred.  True, 
many  of  the  emigrant  founders  of 
families  built  up  their  fortunes  by 
engaging  in  business  as  merchants 
or  as  Indian  traders,  but  even  these 
cultivated  the  profitable  tobacco  and  other  crops  'vvith 
enthusiasm,  and  their  sons,  as  a  rule,  aspu'cd  to  be  and 
were  planters  only. 

In  16G6  Governor  Berkeley,  writing  to  Lord  Arling- 
ton of  conditions  in  the  colony,  said: 

"  We  live  after  the  simplicity  of  the  past  age,  indeed 
unless  the  danger  of  our  country  gave  our  fears  tongues 
and  language  we  should  shortly  forget  all  sounds  that  did 
not  concern  the  business  and  necessities  of  our  farms." 

The  county  seat  and  warehouse  were  little  centres  of 
public  and  private  business,  and  of  news,  and  during  the 
seventeenth  century  Jamestown,  with  its  fifty  to  sixty 
houses,  was  known  throughout  the  colony  as  "  town."  In 
the  later  eighteenth  centiny  Norfolk  became  a  prosperous 
port  with  full-rigged  ships  and  smaller  craft  constantly 
coming  and  going,  and  several  thousands  of  inhabitants. 
AV^illiainsburg  had  about  one  thousand,  and  Petersburg, 
Kic'hmond,  Fredericksburg,  Alexandria,  and  some  other 
l)hiccs  on  the  rivers — none  of  which  were  more  than  large 
villages — became  busy  marts  of  trade.  But  all  of  these 
together  made  but  a  small  part  of  the  colony;  the  far 
larger,  rural  ])opulation  was  composed  of  many  classes, 
from  the  great  planter  and  slaveholder  whose  lands  ex- 

lOi 


By  courtesy  of  the  Century  M.iija^ine 

"WESTOVER"  DOORWAY 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


tended  around  liis  ample  home  as  far  as  eye  could  see,  to 
the  squatter  on  a  few  acres,  in  his  one-room  cabin.  Much 
more  nmnerous  than  either  extreme  was  the  farmer  of  the 
middle  class  living  with  no  attempt  at  elegance,  but  in 
plenty,  and  supplied  with  every  real  necessity. 

Social  lines  were  closely  drawn  and  were  recognized 
by  all  classes,  but  there  was  never  any  iron-bound  caste 
to  forbid  successful  men  from  mounting  the  social  ladder. 
Political  democracy  prevailed  and  the  Virginian  of  all 
ranks  was  sturdily  independent.  In  Northampton,  in  1644, 
there  was  a  quarrel  between  Captain  William  Stone,  a 
magistrate — who  had  been  high  sheriff  of  the  county  and 
was  later  Governor  of  Maryland — and  Mr.  Peter  Walker, 
a  respectable  citizen.  The  difficulty  was  taken  to  court 
and  a  witness  testified  that  he  had  heard  Mr.  Walker  say 
to  Captain  Stone:  i< 

*'  God's  wounds!  I  am  as  good  a  man  as  thee,  and 
better  too,  better  borne  and  better  bredde."  ^  — 

The  attitude  was  typical.  Indeed,  the  life  encouraged^ 
independence.  Not  only  was  the  large  or  small  planter's 
house  his  castle,  his  plantation  was  his  kingdom.  He  was 
a  man  in  authority  bidding  his  one  slave  or  his  hundreds  of 
slaves  and  scores  of  white,  indentured  servants  do  his  will. 
To  these  he  was  master,  to  his  household  he  was  the  head — 
the  authority  from  whom  there  was  no  appeal. 

That  the  foundation  of  all  social  life  is  the  family  was 
never  anywhere  more  fully  illustrated  than  in  Virginia. 
Distance  between  homes  caused  dependence  of  members 
of  the  household  upon  each  other  and  made  large  families 
to  be  desired;  the  most  fortunate  parents  were  they  that 
had  the  greatest  number  of  children.  Grandmothers  en- 
joyed a  position  of  honor,  and  other  dependent  relatives 

^  Northampton  County  Records. 

103 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

were  welcome  additions  to  the  circle.  If  they  were  women 
they  generally  helped  about  the  housekeeping,  if  men  they 
found  occupation  enough  in  hunting  and  fishing;  in  either 
case  they  provided  relief  from  loneliness.  There  was 
always  plenty  of  food  and  plenty  of  firewood,  and  the  more 
to  enjoy  them  the  merrier  was  the  pleasant  doctrine. 

In  168G  William  Fitzhugh  wrote  his  brother  in  London : 

"  God  Almighty  hath  been  pleased  to  bless  me  with  a 
good  wife  and  five  children  and  means  to  support  them 
handsomely."  lie  had  heard  that  his  mother  and  sister 
were  in  straitened  circumstances  in  the  old  country,  and 
directed  that  his  fortune  be  drawn  upon  to  assist  them  "  if 
it  be  to  the  utmost  farthing."  In  regard  to  his  sister  he 
said,  "  I  should  be  heartily  glad  of  her  good  company, 
with  an  assurance  she  shall  never  want  as  long  as  I  have 
it  to  supply  her,"  and  added,  "  I  would  desire  and  entreat 
you  that  she  come  out  handsomely  and  genteely  and  well 
clothed,  with  a  maid  to  wait  on  her  and  both  their  passages 
paid." 

In  1702  Samuel  Griffin,  of  Northimiberland  County, 
directed  in  his  will  that  his  kinsman,  Sanmel  Godwin,  have 
"  free  accommodation"  in  his  house  for  three  years;  and 
Kobert  Beverley,  of  "  Xewlands,"  in  his  will  made  in  1733, 
directed  that  his  three  maiden  sisters  "  have  board  and  live  " 
in  his  house  after  his  death — as  during  his  life — until  mar- 
riage, "  without  charge  or  expense,"  and  gave  them  six 
pounds  a  year  and  the  produce  of  their  own  slaves,  who 
were  to  be  permitted  to  work  on  his  plantation. 

If  the  presence  of  these  and  other  "  in-laws  "  made 
discord  in  colonial  homes  there  is  no  proof  of  it. 

Wills  are  a  fruitful  source  of  information  as  to  relations 
between  husbands  and  wives — careful  provision  for  the 
wife  with  unqualified  tributes  to  her  good  qualities  being 

104 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


tlie  rule — and  references  of  husbands  and  wives  to  each 
other  and  to  their  children  in  letters,  diaries,  and  other 
records  bear  witness  to  the  affection  and  confidence  which 
generally  characterized  home  life.  Among  the  earliest  of 
such  testimonials  is  that  given  by  John  Rolfe,  who,  writing 
from  Jamestown,  in  1617,  of  his  sorrow  at  the  death  of  his 
wife,  Pocahontas,  expresses  his  great  desire  to  have  her 
infant  son  with  him  as  soon  as  he  is  old  enough  to  be 
brought  from  England,  and  speaks  of  the  courage  of  the 
mother  at  the  approach  of  death,  "  Saying  all  must  die,  but 
'tis  enough  that  her  cliilde  liveth." 

Dr.  John  Pott  was  a  popular  physician  of  Jamesto^vn, 
a  member  of  his  Majesty's  Council  and  some  time  Gover- 
nor, but  his  fondness  for  the  cup  that  cheers  got  him  into 
trouble.  It  was  charged  that  while  under  its  influence  he 
branded  other  men's  livestock  as  his  own,  and — though  he 
stoutly  denied  it — he  was  tried  and  convicted  of  cattle  steal- 
ing. ^Nladam  Elizabeth  Pott  made  the  long  and  dangerous 
voyage  to  England  alone,  in  midwinter,  to  plead  for  him 
before  the  Privy  Council,  whose  members  were  so  impressed 
by  her  devotion  that  they  sent  her  home  with  a  pardon  for 
her  husband. 

The  records  of  Lower  Norfolk  furnish  an  instance  of 
a  widow's  loyalty  to  her  husband's  memory  and  a  quaint 
picture  of  manners,  as  well.  Women  of  prominence  were 
addressed  as  "  jNIadam  "  while  those  of  lower  rank  were 
called  "  Goody."  Goody  Layton  told  IMadam  Thorough- 
good  to  her  face  that  nobody  could  get  a  bill  out  of  her  late 
husband,  Captain  Adam  Thoroughgood.  The  widow  in- 
dignantly replied : 

"  Goody  Layton,  could  you  never  get  yours?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  admitted,  and  Madam  Thoroughgood  bade 
her  bring  another  that  could  not.    At  which  Goody  Layton 

105 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  11^  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

"  turned  about  with  a  scornful  manner  and  cried,  'Pish.'  " 

Then  said  Madam  Thorou^hgood : 

"  Goody  Layton,  you  must  not  think  to  put  it  off  with 
a  '  pish,'  for  if  you  have  wronged  him  you  nmst  answer 
for  it,  for  though  he  be  dead  I  am  here  in  his  behalf  to 
right  him." 

She  swore  out  a  warrant  and  Goody  Layton  was  or- 
dered to  ask  her  pardon  kneeling,  before  the  court  and 
people  present  there,  and  again  in  the  parish  church  after 
the  first  lesson  at  morning  prayer,  the  next  Sunday. 

John  Moon,  of  Isle  of  Wight  County,  in  his  will  of 
1655,  thus  appeals  to  his  wife  and  children: 

"  And  for  you  my  children,  I  charge  you  all  before  God 
and  the  I^ord  Jesus  Christ  who  shall  judge  the  Quick  and 
the  Dead  that  you  demean  yourselves  loving,  obedient,  com- 
fortable unto  your  Mother  all  the  days  of  her  life.  And  I 
charge  you  mj^  beloved  wife  that  you  provoke  not  your 
children  to  wrath  lest  they  be  discouraged,  but  bring  them 
up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord  and  live 
peaceably  and  lovingly  together." 

Francis  Page,  of  Williamsburg,  in  his  will,  1692,  di- 
rected that  tombs  to  be  erected  over  his  *'  dear  wife  "  and 
himself  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  his  "  honored  ^Mother  '* 
and  his  "  dear  and  loving  brother."  lie  gave  to  his  "  dear 
and  only  child  "  all  his  estate  and  adds,  "  I  hereby  conmiit 
her  next  to  the  blessing  of  God  to  the  care,  tuition  and 
government  of  my  honored  Mother." 

In  1710  another  of  this  family,  ^lann  Page,  of  "  Rose- 
well,"  wrote  in  his  Bible: 

**  On  the  12th  day  of  December  (the  most  unfortunate 
day  that  ever  befell  me)  about  7  of  the  clock  in  the  morning, 
tlic  better  half  of  mo,  my  dearest  dear  wife,  was  taken 
from  me."  ^ 

M»a/To  Family,  63,  US. 

106 


KVELYN  BYRD 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


On  the  next  day,  December  13,  1716,  we  find  Colonel 
Byrd  writing  from  London  to  inform  his  brother-in-law, 
Colonel  Custis,  of  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  his  "  dear 
Lucy  "  Parke.  "  Gracious  God,"  he  exclaims,  "  what  pains 
did  she  take  to  make  a  voyage  hither  to  seek  a  grave.  No 
stranger  ever  met  with  more  respect  in  a  strange  country 
than  she  had  done  here  from  many  persons  of  distinction, 
who  all  pronounced  her  an  honor  to  Virginia.  Alas !  how 
proud  was  I  of  her  and  how  severely  I  am  punished  for  it !  "^ 

Richard  Bray,  in  1690,  bequeathed  most  of  his  property 
to  his  wife,  Ann,  with  the  wish  that  after  his  death  she 
would  "  go  to  England  and  live  like  a  gentlewoman  ";  and 
Benjamin  Harrison,  disposing  of  a  handsome  estate  in 
1743,  said: 

"  Forasmuch  as  my  wife  hath  at  all  times  behaved  in 
a  most  dutiful  and  affectionate  manner  to  me — always 
assisting  me  through  my  whole  affairs,  I  therefore  think 
proper  to  give  my  dear  wife  as  a  small  requital  over  and 
above  the  thirds  of  my  estate  aforesaid.  ..."  Handsome 
legacies  follow — among  them  a  coach  and  horses,  a  chariot, 
a  gold  watch,  and  jewels. 

In  a  majority  of  wills  the  wife  is  left  sole  executrix, 
often  without  bond.  For  instance  in  1669,  the  wealthy 
Edward  Digges,  of  "  Belfield,"  York  County,  who  had 
been  for  some  time  in  England,  but  was  "now  bound  upon 
a  voyage  to  Virginia,"  made  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  his  execu- 
trix and  gave  her  twelve  hundred  pounds  sterling  and 
all  the  rest  of  his  estate  except  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  each  to  his  eight  children.  Xo  wonder  the  lady 
sought  repose  in  a  "  great  bed  "  canopied  with  yellow  silk! 

Provision  against  a  grasping  successor  was  frequent. 
For  instance,  Major  Robert  Beverley,  of  INIiddlesex,  in 

3  Glenn's  "  Colonial  Mansions,"  34,  35. 

107 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

1686,  made  his  "  deare  and  loving  wife  Catherine,"  full  and 
sole  executrix,  "  without  security  so  long  as  she  sliall  re- 
main a  widdow,"  but  if  she  should  marry  or  leave  Virginia 
she  was  to  give  bond;  while  Daniel  Gaines,  in  17.37,  left  his 
"  beloved  wife  Eliza  "  his  whole  estate  during  her  natural 
life  or  widowhood,  but  added: 

*'  In  case  of  my  wife  marrying,  embezzling  or  squander- 
ing any  j)art  of  my  estate  that  is  left  to  her,  it  shall  be 
directly  taken  out  of  her  hands  to  be  taken  care  of  for 
the  use  of  my  six  children."  * 

In  his  "  Progress  to  the  Klines  "  Colonel  Byrd — then 
married  to  his  second  wife,  Maria  Taylor,  gives  us  some 
pleasant  glimpses  of  himself  and  of  Governor  Spotswood — 
who  married  late  in  life — as  family  men.  Leaving  "  West- 
over  "  on  September  18,  1732,  he  says: 

*'  For  the  pleasure  of  the  good  company  of  Mrs.  Byrd 
and  her  little  governor,  my  son,  I  went  about  half  way 
to  the  Falls  in  the  Chariot  " — to  which  he  drove  six  horses. 
This  was  about  twenty  miles;  the  rest  of  his  journey  was 
made  on  horseback. 

Arrived  at  "  Ccrmanna,"  he  "  spent  the  evening 
prattling  with  the  ladies — "  ]SIrs.  Spotswood  and  her  sister 
Dorothea,  or  "  Miss  Theky,"  as  she  was  called. 

"  I  observed,"  he  continues,  "  my  old  friend  to  be  very 
uxorious  and  exceedingly  fond  of  his  children.  This  was 
so  opposite  to  the  maxims  he  used  to  preach  up  before  he 
was  married  that  I  could  not  forl)ear  rubbing  up  the  mem- 
ory of  them.  But  he  gave  a  very  good-natured  turn  to  his 
change  of  sentiments  by  alleging  that  whoever  brings  a 
poor  gentlewoman  into  so  solitary  a  place  from  all  her 
friends  and  accpiaintance  would  be  ungrateful  not  to  use 
her  and  all  that  belongs  to  her  with  all  possible  tenderness." 

*  Willinni  and  Mary  Quarterly,  v,  91. 

108 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


Nearing  home  again,  on  October  the  ninth,  the  traveller 
writes : 

"  ]My  long  absence  made  me  long  for  the  domestic  de- 
lights of  my  own  family,  for  the  smiles  of  an  affectionate 
wife  and  the  prattle  of  my  innocent  children." 

Lord  Adam  Gordon,  who  visited  Virginia  in  1765 
and  recorded  his  impressions  in  his  journal,  said  of  the 
women  that  they  made  excellent  wives  and  he  had  not 
heard  of  one  unliappy  couple.^ 

There  were,  of  course,  unsatisfactory  husbands  and 
wives — as  there  have  always  been,  in  every  quarter.  In 
1625  Joseph  Johnson  was  tried  for  wife-beating  and  put 
under  a  bond  of  forty  pounds  to  keep  the  peace.  In  1714 
]Mr.  John  Custis  and  his  wife  Frances  had  a  quarrel  that 
made  necessary  an  agreement,  now  on  file  in  Northampton 
County,  in  which  it  was  ordered  that — 

"  Frances  shall  henceforth  forbear  to  call  him,  ye  said 
John,  any  vile  names  or  give  him  any  ill  language,  neither 
shall  he  give  her  any,  but  to  live  lovingly  together  and  to 
behave  themselves  as  a  good  husband  and  good  wife  ought 
to  do  and  that  she  must  not  intermeddle  with  his  affairs 
but  that  all  business  belonging  to  the  husband's  manage- 
ment shall  be  solely  transacted  by  him,  neither  shall  he 
intermeddle  in  her  domestic  affairs  but  that  all  business 
properly  belonging  to  the  management  of  the  wife  shall 
be  solely  transacted  by  her." 

According  to  a  deposition  in  the  Lower  Norfolk  records 
of  1640: 

"  INIatthew  Hayward's  wife  did  live  as  brave  a  life  as 
any  woman  in  Virginia,  for  she  could  lie  abed  any  morning 
till  her  husband  went  amilking  and  came  back  again  and 
washed  the  dishes  and  skimmed  the  milk  and  Mr.  Edward 

^  "  Travels  in  the  American  Colonies,"  Mereness,  406. 
8  109 


COLONIAL  \1RGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Florde  would  come  in  and  say,  '  Come,  neighbor,  will  you 
walkr 

"  So  they  went  abroad  and  left  the  children  crying,  that 
her  husband  was  faine  to  come  home  and  leave  his  work 
to  quiet  the  children." 

As  there  was  no  ecclesiastical  court  in  Virginia  there 
were  no  divorces,  but  there  were  a  few  legal  separations, 
ordered  by  county  courts.  The  Virginia  Ga::ette  of  the 
middle  and  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  contains 
occasional  advertisements  of  deserted  husbands  warning  the 
public  against  crediting  their  wives,  and  Colonel  James 
Gordon's  diary  informs  us  that  in  1763  Captain  Glascock 
ran  away  from  his  wife  and  took  a  young  woman  with  him. 

But  all  of  these  are  rare  exceptions.  There  is  abundant 
proof  that  Virginia  was  a  land  of  happy  marriages — of 
loving  and  trusting  husbands  and  wives,  surrounded  by 
children  who  were  objects  of  the  utmost  pride  and  devotion. 

Robert  Boiling,  of  "  Kippax,"  concludes  a  Bible  record 
of  the  births  of  his  children  thus : 

"  That  God  Almighty  may  bless  these  blessings  shall 
be  the  continual  prayer  of  their  father." 

William  Beverley,  writing  of  the  death  of  a  son  in 
1743,  exclaimed,  "Oh!  that  I  had  died  in  his  room,  for 
tho'  I  know  I  ought  to  submit  in  patience,  yet  my  melan- 
choly increases  and  I  believe  it  won't  be  long  before  I  lie 
in  the  dust  with  him  who  was  the  sweetest  boy  that  ere  was 
bom." 

Yet  children  were  disciplined  and  especially  were  they 

made  to  o])cy.    The  commandment  to  honor  their  parents 

was  drilled  into  them,  and  the  maxim  "  spare  the  rod  and 

spoil  the  child  "  was  taken  literally  and  followed  faithfully. 

Politeness  was  considered  of  first  importance,  and  parents, 

grandparents,  teachers,  and  nurses  all  took  a  hand  in  train- 
no 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


ing  boys  and  girls  to  mind  their  manners.  A  gentleman 
of  Middlesex,  in  making  his  will,  cut  his  son  off  with  a 
shilling  "  for  some  disrespect." 

Colonel  Daniel  Parke,  writing  about  1702  to  his  daugh- 
ter Frances,  who  afterward  became  Mrs.  Custis — and  for 
all  her  careful  training  feU  out  with  her  husband — ad- 
monishes her  thus: 

"  Do  not  learn  to  romp  but  behave  yourself  soberly 
and  like  a  gentlewoman.  ...  Be  calm  and  Obliging  to  all 
the  Servants,  and  when  you  speak  doe  it  mildly,  even  to 
the  poorest  slave;  if  any  of  the  Servants  commit  small  faults 
yt  are  of  no  consequence,  doe  you  hide  them.  If  you  under- 
stand of  any  great  faults  they  commit,  acquaint  yr  mother, 
but  do  not  exaggerate  the  fault." 

Fithian  declared  that  his  pupils  at  "  Nomini  Hall " 
were  more  polite  to  the  servants  who  waited  on  them  than 
many  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  his  own  colony  were  to  each 
other. 

Interesting  pictures  of  domestic  life  are  afforded  by  old 
letters  and  diaries  and  show  the  children  of  the  long  ago 
colonial  days  to  have  been  very  human  little  people.  In 
1728  Mrs.  Thomas  Jones,  of  Williamsburg,  went  to  Eng- 
land in  search  of  health,  leaving  her  year-old  baby,  Dolly, 
two-year-old  Tom,  and  seven-year-old  Bessy  Pratt — the 
child  of  an  earlier  marriage — to  the  care  of  her  husband 
and  mother.  In  a  letter  from  the  husband,  who  was  still 
a  lover,  addressing  her  as  "  Dearest  Life,"  and  describing 
his  state  of  desolation  in  her  absence,  he  says  of  his  little 
step-daughter : 

"  I  asked  her  t'other  day  whether  she  would  not  rather 

live  with  somebody  else  than  with  me,  but  she  told  me  she 

would  not  leave  me  to  go  to  anybody  or  anywhere  else, 

and  you  know  she  is  a  plain  dealer  and  not  afraid  of  incur- 
in 


COLONIAL   MllGLNLV,   ITS  PKCJPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

ring  my  displeasure  for  anything  she  can  say.  She  drinks 
your  health  very  cheerfully  every  day  after  dhiner.  Upon 
a  late  visit  she  made  to  the  Governor's  Lady,  passing 
through  the  Hall  where  the  Governor,  myself  and  several 
more  were  Setting,  she  hehaved  so  very  prettily  that  he 
cou'd  not  forbear  taking  particular  notice  of  her.  She 
also  behaves  very  handsomely  at  Church  and  all  public 
places,  which  I  promised  her  to  let  you  know."  He  says  of 
Tom,  "  There  is  great  prospect  of  his  making  a  fine  boy," 
and  that  Dolly  is  "  as  engaging  as  I  think  it  possible  for  a 
child  of  her  age  to  be." 

The  grandmother,  Mrs.  Holloway,  writing  her  daugh- 
ter, says  that  little  Tom  "  has  fallen  in  love  with  his  maid 
Dafl'ney.  lie  kisses  her  and  runs  his  head  in  her  neck  for 
w'ch  he  is  never  ye  sweeter  or  cleaner,  but  you  know  chil- 
dren thrive  on  durt." 

Of  IJessy  Pratt,  the  grandmother  says,  "  she  has  made 
a  pocket  handkerchief  (as  prettily  as  you  can  work) .  She 
is  now  hem'g  a  neck  handkerchief  for  me." 

This  delightful  little  girl's  older  brother,  Keith  Pratt, 
was  at  school  in  England,  and  here  is  a  fascinating  little 
letter  from  her  to  him,  written  when  she  was  eleven  years 
old: 

Virginia,  August  10th,  1732. 
Dear  I^rotlior: 

I  was  very  glad  to  hear  by  both  your  letters  to  my  Ma-nia  that 
you  was  well ;  I  wish  there  was  not  so  much  water  betwixt  us  as  I 
am  told  there  is,  I  wou'd  come  to  see  you,  tho'  as  it  is  I  cou'd 
venture  if  my  Ma-ma  would  come  with  me,  and  I  shou'd  think  it  the 
greatest  Pleasure  in  tlie  world ;  But  as  there  is  little  hopes  of  that, 
I  must  he  contented  till  you  are  big  enough  to  come  and  see  me, 
whicli  I  think  will  he  more  decent  as  I  wear  Petty-coats,  but  then 
you  will  see  so  many  fine  and  agreeable  Ladies  every  day  that 
Pm  afraid  you  will  hardiv  think  it  worth  while  to  come  so  far  to 
see  a  Sister;  so  that  perhaps  I  may  never  see  you  at  all,  which 

Ui 


A  COLONIAL  DOLL 


MAMMY  BY  THE  KITCHEN  FIRE  AT   'GREENSPRING' 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


wou'd  be  a  hard  fate,  only  a  Bro':  and  a  Sister  not  to  see  one 
another  so  long  as  we  live;  but  to  be  as  perfect  strangers,  not  to 
know  each  other  tho'  if  by  any  accident  (as  they  say)  we  were 
to  meet  in  a  dish :  However,  as  we  can  both  write,  I  shall  always 
once  or  twice  a  year  as  opportunity  offers  let  you  know  how  I  do, 
and  I  hope  you  will  do  the  same.  I  find  you  have  got  the  start  of 
me  in  learning  very  much,  for  you  write  better  already  than  I 
expect  to  do  as  long  as  I  live ;  and  you  are  got  as  far  as  the  Rule 
of  three  in  Arithmetick,  but  I  can't  cast  up  a  sum  in  addition 
cleverly,  but  I  am  striving  to  do  better  every  day.  I  can  perform 
a  great  many  dances  and  am  now  learning  the  Sibell,  but  I  cannot 
speak  a  word  of  French.  I  fear  you  will  think  my  letter  too  long, 
therefore  shall  only  ad  that  all  our  Bros  and  Sisters  that  can 
speak  give  their  love  and  Service  to  you,  and  be  assured  that  I  am 

Your  most  affectionate  Sister."  ^ 

A  few  samples  from  a  fragment  of  a  diary  which  has 
been  preserved  kept  by  small  Sally  Fairfax,  in  1771  and 
1772,  will  serve  to  show  us  another  very  lively  little  colonial 
girl: 

"  On  thursday  the  26th  of  decem.  Mama  made  6  Mince 
pies  and  7  custards,  12  tarts,  1  chicking  pye  and  4  pudings 
for  the  ball." 

"  On  Satterday  the  28th  of  decem.  I  won  10  shillings 
of  Mr.  Wm.  Payne  playing  chex." 

"  On  Thursday  2d  of  Jan.  1772,  Margery  went  to  wash- 
ing and  brought  all  the  things  in  ready  done  on  Thursday 
the  9th  of  the  same  month.  I  think  she  was  a  great  while 
about  them,  a  whole  week  if  you  will  believe  me,  reader." 

"  On  Friday  the  3d  of  Janna.  that  vile  man  Adam  at 
night  killed  a  poor  cat  of  rage,  because  she  eat  a  bit  of 
meat  out  of  his  hand  &  scratched  it.  A  vile  wretch  of  New 
Negrows,  if  he  was  mine  I  would  cut  him  to  pieces,  a 
son  of  a  gun,  a  nice  negrow,  he  should  be  killed  himself  by 
rites." 

*  Jones  Manuscripts — Library  of  Congress. 

113 


COLONIAL   VITUilNIA,   ITS   PEOPLE   AND  CUSTOMS 

"  On  Friday  the  10th  of  Jan.  Margery  mended  my 
quilt  very  good." 

"On  Saterday,  the  11th  of  Jan.  Papa  measured  me 
on  the  right  side  of  the  door,  as  you  come  out  of  the 
chamber." 

"  On  Saterday,  the  11th  of  Jan.  I  made  me  a  card 
box  to  put  my  necklass  in,  &  I  put  them  in." 

"  On  Thursday  the  16th  of  Jan.  there  came  a  woman 
&  a  girl  and  Mama  bought  3  old  hens  from  them  &  gave 
them  to  me,  which  reduced  the  debt  she  owed  me,  which 
was  5  and  nine-pence  to  three  &  nine-pence,  which  she 
now  owes  me,  &  she  owes  me  fiveteen  pence  about  Nancy 
Percys  ribon,  which  she  never  paid." 

Little  Sally  was  the  granddaughter  of  Colonel  William 
Fairfax  of  "  Belvoir  "  and  daughter  of  Rev.  Bryan  Fair- 
fax of  "  Toulston,"  who  was,  in  1800,  recognized  by  the 
House  of  Lords  as  the  eighth  Lord  Fairfax.  She  died 
while  still  a  young  girl. 

Colonial  children,  like  children  the  world  over,  loved 
toys  and  games.  Doubtless  most  of  the  toys  of  earliest 
times  were  home-made,  but  they  had  "  store  "  toys  too, 
for  AVilliamsburg  shops  advertised  them  in  the  Virginia 
Gazette — tea-sets  for  little  girls  being  especially  mentioned. 
In  1734  a  jointed  doll  was  imported  for  Betty  Carter,  and 
in  1769  a  runaway  servant  advertised  in  the  Gazette  had  a 
toy  watch  in  his  pocket.  In  a  pleasant  letter  to  her  sister, 
JNIrs.  George  Braxton,  of  "  Xewington,"  \\Titten  about 
1760,  Anne  Blair  of  Williamsburg  tells  of  dressing  a  doll 
for  her  little  sister  Betsy.  She  has  "  had  hair  put  on  ^liss 
Dolly,"  but  finds  it  not  in  her  power  to  keep  her  promise 
to  give  her  a  silk  sack  and  coat  as  the  silk  has  been  stolen 
from  her  trunk.    "  Little  Betsy  is  busy  making  a  tucker."  ^ 

"  William  and  Mary  Qimrtcrly,  xxi. 

114 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


^lany  of  the  quaint  ring  games,  singing,  kissing  and 
counting-out  games  enjoyed  by  boys  and  girls  of  later  days, 
with  others,  such  as  "  blind  man's  bluff,"  "  fox  in  the  war- 
ner  "  (or  warren),  "  prisoner's  base,"  "  cat,"  and  "  chur- 
many  " — as  the  old  game  of  "  rounders  "  was  called  here — 
were  legacies  from  colonial  children  whose  fathers  and 
mothers  played  them  in  merry  England  and  taught  them  to 
their  sons  and  daughters  in  the  big  rooms  and  on  the  green- 
sward of  Virginia  plantations.  Shakespeare  mentions 
prisoner's  base,  and  Bunyan  says  that  he  was  playing  "  cat  " 
when  he  heard  a  voice  from  Heaven  warning  him  of  his  sins. 


Nothing  could  be  fm-ther  from  the  truth  than  the  idea 
that  the  Colonial  Virginia  woman  led  a  life  of  idleness. 
True  she  had  plenty  of  sei'vants  to  relieve  her  of  manual 
work,  even  though  her  husband  might  be  a  man  of  moderate 
means,  but  the  training  and  direction  of  these  servants — 
white  and  black — the  management  of  a  large  family  and  the 
superintendence  of  home  industries  made  the  position  of 
mistress  of  a  plantation  one  of  importance  and  responsi- 
bility. It  must  be  remembered  that  all  of  the  sewing  was 
done  by  hand  and  that  most  of  the  elaborate  paraphernalia 
worn  by  men,  women,  and  children  and  all  of  the  clothing 
for  the  servants  were  made  on  the  place ;  much  spinning  and 
weaving  was  done,  many  stockings  were  knitted.  There 
was  milk  to  be  looked  after,  butter  to  be  made  and  a  qua^i- 
tity  of  pickles  and  preserves  to  be  put  up,  and  poultry  and 
garden  also  came  under  the  supervision  of  "  the  ]Mistress.*' 
Perchance  her  hair  was  brushed  by  one  maid,  her  shoes 
laced  by  another,  while  still  another  fanned  her  when  she 
sat  down  to  read  or  sew,  but  at  hog-killing  time  she  assisted 
her  husband  in  personally  looking  after  the  putting  up  of 
lard  and  sausage  and  curing  of  hams  that  were  to  grace 
her  table. 

115 


COLONIAL  MRGLXLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Colonel  Byrd  says  that  when  visiting  the  home  of  Major 
Woodford,  of  Caroline  County,  he  "  surprised  Mrs.  Wood- 
ford in  her  housewifery  in  the  meathouse,  at  which  she 
blushed  as  if  it  had  been  a  sin." 

There  was  often  a  home  school  taught  by  a  tutor  who 
was  a  member  of  the  family;  "  the  mistress  " — and  mother 
— must  see  that  this  was  properly  conducted  and  that  the 
tutor's  chamber,  as  well  as  the  schoolroom,  was  comfortable. 

In  addition  to  all  her  other  duties,  she  must  have  some 
knowledge  of  the  care  of  the  sick,  for  she  practised,  upon 
occasion,  on  both  the  wliite  and  black  members  of  her 
family,  in  the  house  and  in  the  "  quarters."  For  these 
patients  she  not  only  made  broth  and  gruel,  but  prepared 
teas,  balms,  and  ointments  from  medicinal  herbs  grown  in 
her  garden,  bandaged  cuts  and  bruises,  applied  poultices 
and  plasters,  and  administered  emetics  and  purges. 

Her  badge  of  office  was  the  key-basket  carried  on  her 
wrist  or  placed  upon  her  candle-stand  or  in  some  other 
handy  place,  filled  with  keys  of  every  description  from  the 
little  ones  that  unlocked  the  drawers  of  her  sewing-table, 
*'  scrutoire,"  or  linen  press,  to  the  ponderous  ones  whose 
grating  in  huge  locks  was  open  sesame  to  the  cellar  where 
provisions  were  kept  cool  and  sweet,  or  the  smoke-house 
from  whose  beams  dangled  row  upon  row  of  hams,  jowls, 
and  sides  of  bacon. 

In  the  earliest  settlements,  and  later  on  the  frontier, 
the  life  of  the  housewife,  if  less  varied  in  its  responsibilities, 
was  rougher  and  harder.  She  must  understand  the  use 
of  firearms  and,  in  emergency,  be  both  man  and  woman. 
In  1022,  during  the  absence  of  John  Proctor  from  his  home 
— upon  the  southern  side  of  James  River,  his  wife,  with 
her  servants,  bravely  defended  the  house  against  the 
Indians.    In  1710  the  Commissioners  to  settle  the  boundary 

116 


RICHARD  LEE 

About  16B0 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


line  between  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  passed  the  fron- 
tier house  of  Mr.  Francis  Jones  who  was  away  from  home, 
but  they  were  hospitably  entertained  by  his  wife  and  re- 
ported of  her: 

"  She  is  a  very  civil  woman  and  shews  nothing  of 
ruggedness,  or  Immodesty  in  her  carriage,  yett  she  will 
carry  a  gunn  in  the  woods  and  kill  deer,  turkeys,  &c.,  shoot 
down  wild  cattle,  catch  and  tye  hoggs,  knock  down  beeves 
with  an  ax  and  perform  the  most  manfull  Exercises  as  well 
as  most  men  in  those  parts."  * 

This  competent  lady  had  several  negro  servants. 

So  much  for  the  woman  of  comfortable  circumstances. 
Those  of  poorer  class  who  had  no  servants,  and  those  of 
the  mountain  settlements,  did  their  own  cooking,  washing, 
and  housework,  cared  for  their  children,  and  not  only  made 
with  their  own  needles  all  the  clothing  of  the  family,  but 
wove  the  homespun  cloth  of  which  it  was  made.  Kercheval 
tells  us  that  in  The  Valley  there  was  a  loom  in  every  house 
and  almost  every  woman  was  a  weaver. 

Byrd  in  his  "  Journey  to  the  Land  of  Eden,"  in  1733, 
came  to  the  "poor,  dirty  house  "  of  one  Daniel  Taylor, 
**  with  hardly  anything  in  it  but  children."  He  says,  "  The 
woman  did  all  that  was  done  in  the  family  and  the  few 
garments  they  had  to  cover  their  dirty  hides  were  owing  to 
her  industry." 

The  next  day  he  went  to  Brunswick  Church,  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  says: 

"  What  women  happened  to  be  there  were  very  gym 
and  tidy  in  the  work  of  their  own  hands,  which  made  them 
look  tempting  in  the  Eyes  of  us  Foresters." 


*  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  v,  10. 


117 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

II— HOSPITALITY 

Early  and  late,  east  and  west,  the  Colonial  Virginia 
woman  knew  that  she  must  be  a  good  neighbor  and  an 
ever  ready,  always  gracious  hostess. 

From  the  beginning  of  time,  making  the  stranger  wel- 
come to  roof  and  board  has  been  an  unwritten  law  in  thinly 
settled  rural  communities,  and  so  liberally  observed  was 
this  law  in  his  Majesty's  first  colony  that  at  an  early  day 
in  its  history  Virginia  hospitality  passed  into  a  proverb. 
One  of  the  first  witnesses  to  this  was  the  traveller,  De  Vries, 
who  writing  on  March  11,  1632,  says: 

"  At  noon  we  came  to  Littleton,  where  we  landed  and 
where  resided  a  great  merchant  named  INIr.  Menife,  who 
kept  us  to  dinner  and  treated  us  veiy  well." 

In  1648  a  writer  calling  himself  Beauchamp  Plantage- 
net  said  in  an  account  of  a  visit  to  America  that  on  reaching 
Virginia  he  came  to  Newport's  News,  where  he  received 
kind  entertainment  at  the  houses  of  Captain  ^latthews  and 
JNIaster  Fauntleroy  and  "  free  quarter  everywhere." 

Captain  Matthews  was  a  councillor  and  was  afterward 
governor  of  the  colony.  Another  traveller  who  enjoyed 
his  hospitality  has  left  a  description  of  him,  which,  in  a  sen- 
tence, sums  up  the  ideal  of  old  Virginia  character:  "  In  a 
word,  he  keeps  a  good  house,  lives  bravely  and  is  a  true 
lover  of  Virginia." 

The  cordiality  with  which  tlie  Old  Dominion  received 
Cavalier  refugees  is  an  oft-told  talc.  Toward  the  end  of 
1()H)  three  such  visitors.  Colonel  Henry  Norwood,  Major 
Francis  Moryson,  and  Major  Richard  Fox,  landed  in  a 
storm  on  the  P^^asteni  Shore,  were  made  welcome  at  the 
nearest  phmtation  and  heartily  entertained  on  all  sides. 
Stephen  Charlton  "  would  have  the  Colonel  to  put  on  a 
good  farmer-like  suit  of  his  own."    A  few  days  later  they 

118 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


sailed  across  to  York  River  where,  at  Captain  Ralph 
AVorineley's,  they  found  several  other  Cavalier  officers — 
Sir  Thomas  Lunsford,  Sir  Henry  Chichley,  Colonel  Philip 
Honeywood,  and  Colonel  Mainwaring  Hammond — feast- 
ing and  carousing.  Colonel  Norwood  declared  of  Gover- 
nor Berkeley's  hospitality  to  Cavaliers,  "  house  and  purse 
were  open  to  all  such." 

Writing  of  Virginia  about  1700,  Robert  Beverley,  the 
historian,  says: 

"  The  inhabitants  are  very  courteous  to  travellers,  who 
need  no  other  recommendation  but  the  being  human  creat- 
ures. A  stranger  has  no  more  to  do  but  to  enquire  upon 
the  road  where  any  gentleman  or  good  housekeeper  lives 
and  there  he  may  depend  upon  being  received  with  hospi- 
tality. This  good  nature  is  so  general  among  these  people 
that  the  gentry  when  they  go  abroad  order  their  principal 
sers'ant  to  entertain  all  visitors  with  everything  the  planta- 
tion offers.  And  the  poor  planters  who  have  but  one  bed 
will  very  often  sit  up  or  lie  upon  a  form  or  couch  all  night 
to  make  room  for  a  weary  traveller  to  repose  himself  after 
his  jom-ney." 

Says  Hugh  Jones,  in  his  "  Present  State  of  Virginia," 
1724:  "No  people  can  entertain  their  friends  with 
better  cheer  and  welcome,  and  strangers  and  travellers  are 
here  treated  in  the  most  free,  plentiful  and  hospitable 
manner  so  that  a  few  inns  or  ordinaries  on  the  roads  are 
sufficient." 

Forty  years  later  Lord  Adam  Gordon  wrote  in  his 
"Journal": 

"  The  inhabitants  are  courteous,  polite  and  affable, 
the  most  hospitable  and  attentive  to  Strangers  of  any  I 
have  yet  seen  in  America." 

So  much  for  the  Virginians  and  the  strangers  within 

119 


COLONIAL  VIRGLXLV,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

their  gates.  Letters  and  diaries  give  more  intimate  pict- 
ures of  them  with  their  friends  and  relatives.  Those  of 
the  upper  class  were  like  one  big,  scattered  family,  for  they 
were  almost  all  related  either  by  blood  or  marriage,  and 
closely  connected  in  all  their  interests.  The  casual  caller 
had  often  travelled  a  good  distance,  on  horseback  or  in 
carriage,  and  was  always  offered  immediate  refreshment 
and  not  only  invited,  but  urged,  to  spend  the  day  and  niglit 
and  to  stay  as  much  longer  as  was  agreeable  to  him,  and  he 
very  often  accepted — sometimes  prolonging  his  visit  for 
days.  If  he  came  alone  this  meant  entertainment  for  him- 
self and  his  horse  only,  but  as  likely  as  not  he  came  in  his 
coach,  chariot,  or  chair,  with  anywhere  from  a  pair  to  six 
horses,  a  driver  and  perhaps  postilions  and  outriders  and 
a  maid  or  two  to  wait  upon  the  family  with  which  the 
equipage  overflowed.  In  January,  1735,  Sir  John  Ran- 
dolph and  his  family  had  been  making  such  a  visit  to  the 
Byrds  of  "  Westover,"  and  upon  their  departure  their  host, 
who  had  done  everything  in  his  power  to  keep  them  longer, 
followed  them  with  a  letter  to  further  assure  them  of  his 
kind  feeling.     He  wrote: 

"  Dear  Sir: 

"  In  hopes  you  may  be  safe  at  Williamsburg  by  this 
time  and  my  lady  up  to  the  elbow  in  Sassages  &  Black 
Puddings  I  can't  forbear  Greeting  you  well,  and  signifying 
our  joy  at  your  arrival  in  your  own  chimney-corner.  We 
have  had  the  good  nature  to  be  in  pain  for  you  ever  since 
you  left  us,  'tho  in  good  trutli  yoin*  obstinacy  in  exposing 
your  wife  and  cliildren  to  l)e  Starved  with  cold  and  buried 
in  the  mire  hardly  deserved  it." 

A  letter  bearing  date  November  25,  1705.  from  William 
I?yrd,  the  third,  to  his  niece  Maria  Carter,  of  "  Cleve," 
shows  that  "  Westover  "  was  keeping  up  its  traditions  of 

120 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


hospitality.  After  congratulating  his  "  dear  Molly  "  upon 
her  engagement  to  William  Armistead,  of  "  Ilesse,"  Glou- 
cester County,  the  writer  says: 

"  I  &  the  rest  of  your  relatives  here  heg  the  Favour 
of  you  &  IMr.  Ai-mistead  to  spend  your  Christmas  at  West- 
over,  where  many  young  People  are  to  make  merry;  & 
give  our  love  to  your  Sisters  &  bring  them  with  you.  Our 
coach  shall  attend  you  anywhere  at  any  time." 

In  the  towns  there  was  much  tea-drinking  and  enter- 
taining at  meals.  Here  is  an  invitation  sent  to  the  charm- 
ing widow  Pratt  and  her  sister  by  one  of  her  admirers,  a 
short  time  before  she  gave  her  hand  to  the  adoring  Thomas 
Jones,  of  Williamsburg: 
Pleasant  Madam, 

The  favor  of  your  company  with  Mrs.  Ann's  will  be  very  accept- 
able at  Dinner,  Supper  and  all  other  times  to 

Madam,  Y'r  most  oblidged  Serv't 

Graves  Packe. 
May  23,  1725. 
Queen's  Creek. 

The  coming  of  a  new  Governor  always  stimulated 
sociability.  On  Xovember  23,  1751,  President  John  Blair 
of  the  Council  recorded  in  his  diary  that  he  and  Mrs.  Blair 
dined,  by  invitation,  at  "  Ye  Attorney's  with  the  newly 
arrived  Governor  Dinwiddle  and  his  wife  and  daughters." 
and  that  "  many  ladies  and  gentlemen  visited  them  in  the 
afternoon." 

On  Xovember  25  he  writes:  "  The  Governor,  his  lady 
and  iMiss  Dinwiddle,  ]Mr.  Attorney  and  his  lady,  the  Coun- 
cillor and  his  lady  dined  and  supped  with  us  this  day." 
And  on  December  31,  "I  invited  the  Governor  and  his 
family  to  begin  the  year  with  us  tomorrow." 

In  1769  President  Blair's  daughter,  Anne,  wrote  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Braxton: 

121 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

"  I  am  to  drink  tea  at  the  Attorney's;  he  breakfasted 
with  us  this  nioming.  Tomorrow  I  breakfast  with  him 
at  his  Quarters  and  on  Thursday  he  has  bespoke  some 
Firmaty  at  our  lower  phmtution." 

Even  the  hospitable  Virginian  had  too  much  company 
sometimes,  though  his  training  forbade  him  to  acknowl- 
edge it  save  to  liis  ever  ready  and  supposedly  safe  confidant, 
his  diary. 

We  cannot  forbear  hearty  sympathy  with  Colonel 
James  Gordon,  of  "  Merry  Point,"  Lancaster  County,  a 
man  of  many  affairs  and  with  an  ill  son-in-law  in  his  house, 
who  has  left  the  following  record: 

"  March  2,  1701.  ^Nlr.  Hunt  came  soon  after  break- 
fast, and  Captain  Thornton,  Captain  Foushee  and  his  wife, 
Colonel  Tayloe  and  Armistead  Churchill  after  dinner,  so 
that  we  had  the  house  full." 

"  March  3.    So  nuich  company  I  can't  do  any  business." 

**  March  4.    All  the  company  went  away  after  dinner." 

We  can  almost  hear  the  sigh  of  relief  with  which  this 
entry  was  made. 

On  March  29  he  has  had  guests  again — ten  of  them, 
who  stayed  several  days.  On  ]March  30  all  of  these  left, 
but  the  respite  was  brief,  for  on  April  1  the  record  began 
again  with  "  Armistead  Churchill  and  his  wife,  Richard 
Span  and  his  wife  and  baby  arrived,"  and  continued  thus: 

"  3.  Our  Company  still  with  us,  with  the  addition  of 
Mr.  Wormeley,  his  wife  and  daughter,  which  is  rather 
troublesome  at  this  time. 

"  4.  It  blowed  so  hard  that  our  company  could  not  get 
over  the  river. 

"  .5.  Our  company  all  went  off,  tho'  we  insisted  upon 
their  staying  till  tomorrow." 

Their  ideal  of  hospitality  and  good  breeding  demanded 

122 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


this  insistence,  no  matter  how  inconvenient  acceptance  of 
the  invitation  might  have  been.  On  May  11  he  wrote, 
"  No  company,  which  is  surprising f'  but  was  soon  to  add, 

"  13.  ]Mr.  Wm.  Churchill  his  wife  and  five  children 
came,  &  Mrs.  Carter  &  her  son  &  Miss  Judith  Bassett. 

"  15.  The  Company  all  here  yet." 

On  May  16,  "  Mr.  Carter  and  Mr.  Churchill  &  their 
families  went  away."  ® 

It  is  evident  that  all  of  these  visitors  were  uninvited 
and  unexpected.  No  mention  is  made  of  the  horses  and 
serv^ants  they  brought  to  be  cared  for  on  the  plantation — 
they  were  doubtless  taken  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Colonel  Landon  Carter  of  "  Sabine  Hall,"  made  a 
regular  practice  of  celebrating  his  birthday  with  what 
would  be  called  to-day  a  house-party  and  recorded  in  his 
diary  his  enjoyment  of  these  entertainments.  On  January 
14,  1770,  he  writes  of  his  sixtieth  birthday  feast: 

"  My  annual  entertainment  began  on  INIonday,  the  8th, 
and  held  till  Wednesday  night,  when  except  one  individual 
or  two  that  retired  sooner  things  pleased  me  much,  and 
therefore  I  will  conclude  that  they  gave  the  same  satisfac- 
tion to  others.  The  oysters  lasted  till  the  third  day  of  the 
feast." 

On  January  22  he  writes,  "  Colonel  Fauntleroy's  feast 
day,  where  I  suppose  my  family  must  go." 

On  January  16,  of  the  following  year,  he  describes 
his  birthday  celebration  with  even  greater  gusto: 

*'  From  the  1st  day  of  this  month  till  this  day  we  have 
had  prodigious  fine  weather  indeed,  so  that  I  have  enjoyed 
my  three  days'  festival,  to  wit:  The  10,  11  &  12,  with 
great  cheerfulness  to  everybody ;  in  all  about  60  people  of 
whom  were  Mr.  Carter  of  Corotoman  &  his  Lady,  my 

»  William  and  Mary  Quarterly,  xi,  219,  220. 

12S 


COLONIAL  MRGL\L\,  ITS  PEOPLE  xVXD  CUSTOMS 

■ 

nejjhew  Charles  Carter,  late  of  Nanzaticoe,  &  his  Lady,  my 
nepliew  Fitzhugli,  his  Lady,  Col.  P.  Lee,  his  Lady,  &  all 
my  neigliborliood  except  Col.  Brockenbrough,  although 
invited  tSc  really  promised  to  come." 

In  1774  he  simply  says: 

"  As  it  was  my  (34th  birthday  I  received  the  compli- 
ments of  most  of  my  better  sort  of  neighbors." 

This  constant  and  wholesale  entertaining  was  made 
easy  for  the  Virginians  by  the  abundance  of  almost  every- 
thing imaginable  to  eat — and  drink — and  the  great  nmnber 
of  negro  cooks,  whose  natural  turn  for  the  culinary  art 
developed  into  genius  under  tlie  training  of  the  planters' 
wives,  with  whom  keeping  a  good  table  was  a  point  of  honor. 
The  woods  were  full  of  game  of  every  description,  the 
rivers  with  fish,  oysters,  and  crabs. 

Hugh  Jones,  in  his  "  Present  State  of  Virginia,"  says 
that  the  frontier  counties  abounded  with  venison  and  wild 
turkeys  and  that  though  in  the  lower  country  venison  was 
not  so  plentiful  there  was  "  enough  and  tolerably  good." 

Burnaby  in  his  travels — 1759-60 — writes  of  the  sora 
which,  in  season,  "  you  meet  with  at  tables  of  most  of  the 
planters,  breakfast,  dinner  and  supper."  He  adds:  "In 
several  2)arts  of  Virginia  the  ancient  custom  of  eating  meat 
at  breakfast  still  continues.  At  the  top  of  tlie  table,  where 
the  lady  of  the  house  presides,  there  is  constantly  tea  and 
coffee,  but  the  rest  of  the  table  is  garnislied  with  roasted 
fowls,  venison,  game,  and  other  dainties." 

Every  planter,  in  proportion  to  his  means,  made  a 
garden,  set  out  an  orchard,  and  raised  poultry  and  hogs, 
and  the  well-to-do  raised  also  beeves  and  sheep.  The 
settlers  in  The  Valley  had  their  patclies  of  corn,  cabbage, 
beans,  and  j)()tatoes,  and  carried  peach  and  apple  trees  on 
pack  horses  across  the  mountains.     In  1745  one  of  these, 

124 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


Christopher  Zimmerman,  carried  a  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  apple  trees  a  hmidred  and  fifty  miles  and  planted 
them  on  his  tract  on  the  upper  James  River.^*^ 

Peaches  were  especially  plentiful.  As  early  as  1691 
William  Fitzhugh,  whose  pride  in  his  fruit  trees  was 
not  exceptional,  writes  that  his  orchard  gives  him  "  from 
its  loaden  boughs,  a  promised  assurance  of  future  grati- 
fication." 

The  first  comers  to  Jamestown  learned  from  the  Indians 
the  many  uses  of  corn.  They  and  their  successors  ground 
it  to  make  meal  or  crushed  it  to  make  hominy,  and  corn- 
bread  not  only  became  and  remained  throughout  the  period 
the  staff  of  life  to  the  poor-white  and  the  negro  slave,  but 
was  popular  in  the  great  house  as  well  and  was  especially 
relished  as  the  natural  accompaniment  of  bacon  and  cab- 
bage or  "greens."  Virginia-cured  bacon  early  became 
famous,  and  "  hog  and  hominy  " — a  homely  but  palatable 
combination — was  a  mainstay  of  the  poorer  people  through- 
out the  low  country  and  in  the  mountains  and  was  far 
from  being  despised  by  the  prosperous. 

To  call  Hugh  Jones  to  the  witness  stand  again,  he  says: 

"  They  bake  daily  bread  and  cakes,  eating  too  much 
hot  and  new  bread  which  cannot  be  wholesome  tho'  it  be 
pleasanter." 

Smyth  in  his  "  Travels  " — 1774 — describes  the  aver- 
age planter  in  summertime  as  rising  early,  drinking  a 
julep  "  made  of  rum,  water  and  sugar,  riding  around  the 
plantation  viewing  his  stock  and  crops,  and  breakfasting 
about  ten  o'clock  on  cold  turkey,  cold  meat,  fried  hominy, 
toast  and  cider,  ham,  bread  and  butter,  tea,  coffee  and 
chocolate." 

^*^  Chalkley's  Augusta  Co.  Records,  i,  431. 
9  125 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

Colonel  Byrd  had  toast  and  cider  for  breakfast  at 
Major  AVoodford's. 

All  kinds  of  vegetables  were  grown  in  the  gardens. 
In  his  diary  President  Jolin  Blair  mentions  dining  at 
Colonel  Burwell's  in  P'ebruary  and  eating  "  fine  greens 
that  were  planted  about  the  first  of  September,"  having 
asparagus  on  his  own  table  in  March  and  green  peas  in 
September.  He  also  says  that  he  *'  gathered  oranges  at 
Greenspring  " — grown  under  glass,  of  course — in  March. 
Colonel  Landon  Carter  tells  of  having  at  "  Sabine  Hall  " 
a  "  great  abundance  of  mushrooms." 

As  spices,  almonds,  raisins,  and  flavorings  were  im- 
ported by  the  planters,  and  during  the  eighteenth  century 
were  to  be  bought  in  the  home  stores,  and  the  housewives 
had  all  the  recipes  that  were  in  use  in  England,  there  was 
nothing  in  the  way  of  making  *'  good  things."  In  1738 
the  versatile  Mrs.  Stagg,  dancer  and  actress,  of  Williams- 
burg, advertised  in  the  Virginia  Gazette,  "  Hartshorn  and 
Calvesfoot  jellies  fresh  every  Tuesday,"  besides  other  con- 
fectionery, including  "  mackaroons,  Savoy  biscuits  and 
Barbadocs  sweetmeats." 

Williamsburg  druggists  advertised  "  white  and  brown 
sugar  candy,"  sugar  plums,  and  comfits. 

A  prohibitionist  in  Colonial  America  would  have  been 
considered  a  lunatic.  It  was  a  drinking  age.  The  English- 
man or  Scotchman  made  merry  with  his  friends  over  the 
flowing  bowl  at  his  favorite  inn  or  in  his  home  in  the  old 
country,  and  when  he  crossed  the  sea  he  brought  his  con- 
vivial habits  with  him  and  passed  them  on  to  his  children. 
Even  Puritan  and  Quaker  restraint  did  not  extend  to  the 
cup,  for  court  records  exhibit  no  more  proof  of  drunken- 
ness in  one  colony  than  another.    In  Virginia  a  julep  before 

12C 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


breakfast  was  believed  to  give  protection  against  malaria, 
and  a  toddy,  or  a  glass  of  wine,  punch,  or  beer  at  almost  any 
time  of  the  day  or  night  to  be  good  for  the  body  as  well 
as  cheering  to  the  spirit  and  indispensable  to  the  practice 
of  hospitality. 

Yet  it  was  realized  that  drinking  could  be  carried  too 
far,  and  as  early  as  January,  1643,  steps  were  taken  by  the 
authorities  to  "  prevent  the  importation  of  too  great  a  quan- 
tity of  strong  liquors  "  into  Virginia  from  neighboring 
colonies.  In  August  of  the  same  year  an  order  of  the 
Governor  and  Council  was  proclaimed  in  the  courts  re- 
citing that  "  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  his 
Majesty  against  the  excessive  and  scandalous  importation 
of  strong  waters  into  the  Colony,"  laws  had  been  passed  to 
prevent  it,  but  had  been  evaded ;  and  because  the  intemper- 
ance of  certain  persons  was  a  "  general  scandal  to  the 
Colony  and  to  temperate  and  continent  men,  no  debts  for 
wine  imported  nor  for  strong  waters  distilled  and  made 
in  the  Colony  should  be  recoverable  in  any  Court  in  the 
Colony." 

A  great  part  of  our  information  in  regard  to  di-inking, 
gambling  and  other  offences  is  derived  from  the  records 
of  county  courts,  and  these  show  that  juries  faithfully  and 
fearlessly  performed  their  duty  and  indicted  and  convicted 
without  respect  to  persons.  There  are  instances  of  the 
indictment  of  magistrates  themselves  for  being  drunk. 

The  wines  most  freely  used  were  Madeira  and  Fial, 
and  in  addition  to  these  all  kinds  of  French  and  other 
European  wines — especially  claret  and  port — were  "  plen- 
tifully drank  by  the  better  sort."  In  1739  Richard  Chap- 
man in  ordering  half  a  pipe  of  good  Madeira  to  be  shipped 
to  York  River  for  him,  wrote  a  I^ondon  merchant  that  he 
found  it  impossible  to  keep  house  in  Virginia  "  without  a 

127 


COLOXLVL  VIRGIMA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

little  wine."  In  1715  Jolin  Fontaine  made  a  visit  to 
liobert  Beverley,  the  historian,  at  "  Beverley  Park."  After 
breakfast  they  went  out  to  see  the  vineyard  and  "  were  very 
merry  "  with  the  wine  of  his  host's  making,  and  "  drank 
prosperity  to  the  \'ineyard." 

The  Virginians  made  a  good  deal  of  beer  of  the  native 
persinmion  and  more  still  of  molasses  from  which  they 
brewed  an  "  extraordinary  brisk  good  tasting  liquor  at  a 
cheap  rate."  They  also  made  malt  beer  and  imported 
Bristol  beer  which  was  consumed  "  in  vast  quantities." 

Cider  was  always  a  favorite  drink.  The  planters  made 
great  quantities  of  it  from  their  own  apples,  and  Virginia 
cider,  like  tlie  Virginia  ham  and  Virginia  peach  brandy, 
was  often  sent  as  a  present  to  friends  abroad.  In  a  letter 
to  a  correspondent  in  Barbadoes  in  1743  William  Beverley 
sends  thanks  for  a  gift  of  rum  and  promises  in  return  some 
"  good  white  apple  cider." 

The  fondness  of  the  negroes  for  the  cheap  native  drinks 
has  been  celebrated  in  the  jingle, 

Christmas  comes  but  once  a  year ; 
Every  man  must  liave  his  sheer 
Of  apple  cider'n  'sinimon  beer. 

Wherever  there  was  drinking  there  was  toasting  of 
royalties  and  other  personages,  as  well  as  of  friends  far 
and  near,  and  in  many  homes  the  custom  of  proposing 
toasts  after  dinner  was  as  invariable  as  that  of  grace  before 
meat.  Phihp  Fithian  alhidcs  over  and  over  again  to  its 
daily  observance  at  "  Xomini  Hall,"  where  each  person  at 
table,  in  turn,  toasted  some  one  he  wished  to  compliment. 
The  lovesick  young  tutor  liimself  usually  gave  the  name  of 
some  neighborhood  l)elle.  thougli  lie  confided  to  liis  diary 
that  in  liis  lieart  he  meant  the  faraway  I. aura.  One  day 
there  dropped  in  to  dinner  at  "  Nomini  '  a  plain  man  "  who 

128 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


seemed  unacquainted  with  company,  for  when  he  would  at 
table  drink  our  health,  he  held  the  glass  fast  with  both 
hands,  gave  an  insignificant  nod  to  each  one  at  the  table, 
in  haste  and  with  fear,  and  then  drank  like  an  Ox.  At 
the  second  toast,  after  having  seen  a  little  of  our  manner, 
he  said,  '  Gentlemen  and  ladies,  the  King,'  but  seemed 
better  pleased  with  the  liquor  than  with  the  manner  in  which 
he  was  at  this  time  obliged  to  use  it." 

This  inviting  to  his  board  of  passers-by  of  all  ranks 
was  one  of  the  many  indications  that  in  the  vocabulary  of 
the  Virginian  there  was  no  such  word  as  snob. 

On  another  occasion  Fithian  says: 

"  Breakfasted  with  us  a  gentleman  from  Maryland. 
At  dinner  he  was  joined  by  another  from  the  same  prov- 
ince.   They  are  both  unknown." 

John  Harrower,  an  indentured  servant,  from  Shetland, 
bound  to  Colonel  William  Daingerfield,  of  Spotsylvania 
County,  for  four  years,  to  teach  his  three  small  children 
reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  tells  in  his  diary  of  the 
gi'acious  terms  upon  which  he  lived  at  "  Belvidera."  One 
day  he  asked  his  master  for  a  bottle  of  rum  to  treat  two  of 
his  fellow-countrymen  who  were  coming  to  see  him.  The 
Colonel  gave  it  "  very  cheerfully  "  and  told  him  to  ask 
for  another  whenever  he  wanted  it  and  to  bring  his  two 
friends  to  the  great  house  to  dinner. 

Transportation  was  a  most  important  factor  in  the 
exchange  of  hospitality  between  the  scattered  plantations. 
Dwellers  along  the  rivers  frequently  called  upon  each  other 
in  sail  or  row  boats,  as  did  the  Carters  of  "  Nomini,"  who 
not  only  made  visits,  but  sometimes  went  to  church,  in  a 
boat  rowed  by  four  negro  men.  But  most  of  the  going 
about  was  done  on  horseback  or  in  carriages.    Everybody 

129 


COLONIAL  MllGLNIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

that  had  anything  had  something  to  ride — from  the  "  one 
old  poore  mangy,  scabby  horse  "  in  the  inventory  of  Grace 
Sherwood,  the  witcli,  to  the  stables  filled  with  highly  bred 
horses  of  the  rich  planter. 

During  most  of  the  seventeenth  century — and  later  in 
the  upper  country — when  the  roads  were  mere  bridle- 
paths, almost  all  travel  by  men  and  women  was  done  on 
horseback.  A  wife  often  rode  behind  her  husband,  on  a 
pillion,  but  many  women  had  good  horses  and  saddles  of 
their  own,  and  a  riding  horse  was  a  frequent  legacy  to 
either  man  or  woman. 

The  first  mention  I  have  seen  of  a  carriage  of  any  de- 
scription in  Virginia  is  in  1677,  when  the  Commissioners 
sent  by  the  English  government  to  suppress  Bacon's  Rebel- 
lion complained  that  when  Sir  William  Berkeley  sent  them 
in  his  coach  from  his  seat,  "  Greenspring,"  to  the  wharf,  he 
insulted  them  by  having  the  "  common  hangman  "  to  act 
as  2)ostilion.  Governor  Berkeley  declared  that  he  was  as 
innocent  of  such  a  thing  "  as  the  blessed  angels  themselves," 
but  the  charge  has  served  to  put  him  on  record  as  the  first 
man  in  Virginia  known  to  have  had  a  coach. 

In  1701  William  Fitzhugh  bequeathed  to  liis  wife  and 
son  two  coaches. 

Hugh  Jones,  in  1724,  says,  "  most  people  of  any 
note  in  Williamsbiu'g  have  a  Coach,  Chariot,  Berlin  or 
Chaise."  And  an  anonymous  writer  in  the  London  Maga- 
xine,  describing  his  travels  in  America  in  17-i6,  tells  us  that 
he  was  struck  by  "  the  prodigious  Number  of  Coaches  that 
crowd  the  deep,  sandy  Streets  of  this  little  City,"  and  tliat 
in  Yorktown  "  almost  every  considerable  man  keeps  an 
c(iuij)age,  tho'  they  have  no  concern  about  the  dift'erent 
colors  of  their  horses." 

Says  the  Virginia  Gazette  of  July  13,  1749: 

130 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


"  This  day  the  Hon.  John  Robinson,  Presid't.  and  the 
rest  of  the  Gent,  of  the  Council  went  all  in  Coaches  to  wait 
on  the  Gov'r." 

In  1756  William  Stephens,  a  newcomer  to  the  colony, 
wrote  to  Nathaniel  Philips,  of  London: 

"  If  a  man  keeps  his  Coach  the  coachman,  postilion  and 
footman  are  all  blacks.    They  all  drive  with  six  horses." 

Lord  Adam  Gordon,  writing  of  the  people  he  had  met 
in  eastern  Virginia,  in  1764,  says: 

*'  Their  Breed  of  Horses  is  extremely  good,  and  par- 
ticularly those  they  run  in  their  Carriages.  .  .  .  They  all 
drive  six  horses  and  travel  generally  from  8  to  9  miles  an 
hour — going  frequently  sixty  miles  to  dinner — You  may 
conclude  from  this  their  Roads  are  extremely  good.  They 
live  in  such  good  agreement  that  the  Fen-ies,  which  would 
retard  in  another  Countiy,  rather  accelerate  their  meeting 
here,  for  they  assist  one  another  and  all  Strangers  with 
their  Equipages  in  So  easy  and  kind  a  manner,  as  must 
deeply  touch  a  person  of  any  feeling  and  convince  them 
that  in  this  Countiy  Hospitality  is  everywhere  practised." 

Naturally,  the  acquaintance  of  a  visiting  lord  would  have 
been  among  the  prominent  and  prosperous.  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  say  what  proportion  of  these  drove  a  coach  and  six. 
Many  did,  but  many  also  drove  a  coach,  or  chariot,  and 
four  horses,  many  others  a  chair,  or  chaise,  and  pair. 

I  find  among  my  own  notes  mention  of  about  eighty 
owners  of  coaches  and  chariots  for  four  or  six  horses,  and 
could  quote  besides  many  wills  like  that  of  Moore  Faunt- 
leroy,  of  Richmond  County,  who,  in  1739,  left  his  wife  his 
"  chariot  and  horses  "  without  indicating  whether  the  har- 
ness was  for  four  or  six. 

Of  course  I  do  not  pretend  to  have  examined  all  the 
records  now  in  Virginia,  to  say  nothing  of  the  many  which 

131 


COLONIAL  VIIUiLNIA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

have  been  destroyed  There  was  a  still  larger  number  of 
small  carriages — chairs,  chaises,  calashes,  and  phaetons; 
and  there  was  the  poor  man's  carriage — the  ox-cart.  A 
good  number  of  gentlemen  liad  several  pleasure  vehicles, 
among  tlicm  Governor  Spotswood,  whose  inventory  shows 
that  he  left,  in  174-0,  a  coach,  chariot,  and  chaise;  Benjamin 
Harrison  of  "  Berkeley,*'  who,  in  1743,  bequeathed  his  wife 
his  coach,  chariot,  chair,  and  six  horses;  Philip  Lightfoot, 
of  Vorktown,  who  left  in  1748  a  two- wheeled  chair,  a  four- 
wheeled  chair,  and  a  coach  and  six;  Wilson  Cary,  who  in 
his  will  of  1772  gave  his  "  dear  wife  Sarah  "  a  coach,  post- 
chariot  and  horses,  and  a  chair;  and  John  Tayloe,  of  "  Mt. 
Airy,"  who  in  1773  bequeathed  to  his  wife  not  only  a 
coach  and  a  chariot  and  six  horses,  but  "  their  drivers." 

While  the  wife  almost  always  fell  heir  to  her  husband's 
carriages  and  horses,  a  will  sometimes  provided  that  a  child 
should  ride  in  state.  For  instance,  in  1742  William  Ran- 
dolph bccjueathed  his  daughter  ]Mary  his  "  new  chaise  and 
harness  for  six  horses,  together  with  six  horses  of  her  own 
choosing."  And  in  1767  Willoughby  Newton,  of  West- 
moreland, gave  his  daughter  Elizabeth  his  "  coach  and  four 
horses." 

Colonel  Landon  Carter  makes  frequent  mention  of  liis 
coach  and  six  in  his  diary.  On  ^larch  15,  1770,  he  writes 
that  the  weather  is  bad,  but  his  daughter  and  her  Cousin 
Nancy  Beale  insist  upon  going  in  the  chariot  to  visit 
Nancy's  mother  forty  miles  ofl\  in  I^ancaster  County. 
Fithian  tells  of  the  arrival  at  "  Xomini  "  of  "  our  new 
coach,"  which  he  says  is  "  a  plain  carriage,  the  upper 
part  black  and  the  lower  sage  or  pea  green."  It  cost  a 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds  sterling.  Councillor  Carter 
had  also  a  "  strong,  fashionable,  travelling  post  coach,  lined 
with  blue  morocco,"  a  "  chariot  with  six  wheels,"  and  a 

188 


\\ASHI.\(iT()\S  ITNCH   HOWl, 


A  COACH  AM)  SIX 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


cliair.  His  coachman  and  postilions  wore  livery  of  blue 
broadcloth  with  brass  buttons/^ 

Let  us  see  Philip  Fithian  going  a-visiting  with  the 
"  Nomini  "  family.  Mrs.  Carter  invited  him  to  escort  her 
when  she  called  upon  the  rector  of  the  parish,  and  the 
"  Councillor  "  lent  him  his  own  "  beautiful  grey  riding 
horse."  They  set  out  about  ten  o'clock,  Mrs.  Carter  and 
her  daughters  Prissy,  Fanny,  and  Betsy  in  the  chariot,  Bob 
and  Mr.  Fithian  on  horseback.  There  were  also  '*  three 
waiting  men — a  coachman,  driver  and  postilion."  They 
arrived  at  the  rectory  at  a  little  after  twelve  and  found 
INIr.  Smith  away  from  home,  but  his  wife  and  sister  enter- 
tained them,  and  they  stayed  to  dinner.  Imagine  a  party 
of  six  with  three  serv^ants  and  certainly  six,  probably  eight, 
horses  descending  unexpectedly  upon  a  parson's  wife  and 
staying  to  dinner !  It  is  to  be  hoped  the  Old  Virginia  cus- 
tom of  stocking  the  parson's  larder  with  bacon,  poultry, 
and  vegetables  was  observed  in  that  neighborhood. 

In  1739  Samuel  Bowler,  coaclimaker,  from  London, 
settled  in  Williamsburg  and  advertised  in  the  Gazette  that 
he  was  prepared  to  "  serve  Gentlemen  in  making  and  re- 
pairing coaches,  chariots,  chaises  and  chairs,  and  harness 
for  them,"  In  1753  a  second-hand  chariot  was  sent  from 
London  to  Francis  Jerdone,  a  Yorktown  merchant,  for 
sale.  Jerdone  wrote  the  owner  that  he  had  sold  it  for 
forty-three  pounds  sterling — the  most  he  could  get  for  it — 
and  adds : 

"  Second  hand  goods  are  no  way  saleable  here,  for  our 
Gentry  have  such  proud  spirits  that  nothing  will  go  down 
but  equipages  of  the  nicest  and  newest  fashions.  You  will 
not  believe  it  when  I  tell  you  that  there  are  sundiy  chariots 

^^  Glenn's  "  Colonial  Mansions,"  271. 

133 


COLONIAL  MKGIXLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUST0:MS 

now  in  the  country  which  cost  200  guineas  and  one  that 
cost  260."  '- 

Immediately  after  the  death  of  William  Nelson,  of 
Yorktown,  in  1773,  his  widow  ordered  from  London  "  a 
genteel  chariot  with  six  harness,  to  he  painted  a  grave 
color,  and  the  coat  of  arms  of  our  family,  the  whole  to 
cost  about  £100  sterling." 

The  carriage  door  or  harness  was  a  favorite  jilace  for 
displaying  coats-of-arms,  which  were  used  by  a  great  num- 
ber of  the  more  prominent  families,  but  not  all.  Other 
ways  of  making  use  of  them  were  on  seals,  silver-plate, 
rings,  tombs,  book-plates,  snuff-boxes,  painted  for  fram- 
ing, and  on  hatclmients — tablets  with  the  armorial  bearings 
of  deceased  persons  which  were  hung  in  front  of  houses  at 
the  time  of  funerals.  Funeral  hatchments  seem  to  have 
rarely  been  preserved,  for  the  only  ones  now  known  to  be  in 
Virginia  are  two  at  "  Shirley."  Occasionally,  arms  were 
carved  upon  front  doors — as  those  of  the  Lee  family  on 
the  door  at  old  "  Cobbs,"  in  Northumberland  County. 

Sometimes  a  militia  officer  would  have  his  coat-of- 
arnis  painted  on  his  drum.  In  the  inventory  of  Colonel 
William  Farrar,  of  Henrico,  1(577,  the  appraisers  name 
**  one  new  drum  wee  think  fitt  to  leave  to  the  heir,  it  belong- 
ing to  ye  family  as  by  ye  arms  thereupon  appears." 

Among  the  comparatively  few  original  papers  which 
remain  in  tlie  files  of  the  older  counties  may  still  be  found 
many  with  armorial  seals.  For  instance,  there  is  the  fine 
I  sham  seal  at  Henrico,  that  attached  to  the  will  of  Major 
Robert  Beverley,  in  jNIiddlesex,  and  the  excellent  impres- 
sion of  the  Filmcr  arms  on  a  paper  now  in  the  collection 
of  tlic  Virginia  Historical  Society.  To  quote  a  few  of  the 
great  number  of  references  to  arms  on  rings,  Leonard 


**  William  and  Mary  Quarterly,  xi,  2S8. 

134 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


Howson,  of  Northumberland,  in  1704,  bequeathed  to  Eliza- 
beth Brereton  "  a  small  gold  seal  ring  with  her  grand- 
father Brereton's  Coat  of  Arms."  In  1711  Samuel 
Peachey,  of  Richmond  County,  mentioned  in  his  will  his 
*'  great  silver  tankard  and  sealed  gold  ring  " — both  having 
his  coat-of-arms  upon  them;  in  1740,  George  Turberville, 
of  Westmoreland,  left  his  son  John  his  gold  seal  ring,  with 
his  coat-of-arms;  and  in  1761  George  Lee  left  his  son 
Launcelot  "  a  seal  set  in  gold  with  the  family  Coat  of 
Arms  cut  thereon,  which  was  given  me  by  my  friend 
Colonel  Richard  Lee." 

Sixty-four  armorial  book-plates  are  known  to  me,  and 
there  are  doubtless  others. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  tombstones  had  to  be 
imported  from  England  and  that  many  old  ones  have  been 
destroyed,  there  were  within  recent  years  in  Virginia 
churchyards  and  family  burying  grounds — and  most  of 
them  still  remain — at  least  a  hundred  and  sixteen  tombs 
of  the  colonial  period  bearing  arms. 

Both  the  Father  of  his  Countrj^  and  the  democratic 
author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  were  interested 
in  coats-of-arms.  In  1771  Washington  wrote  to  London 
from  Mt.  Vernon,  ordering  his  crest  engraved  on  two 
seals — one  to  be  "  topaz  or  some  other  handsome  stone  " 
and  the  other  "  a  plain  stone  " — and  in  the  same  year  Jeffer- 
son wrote  from  Monticello  to  Thomas  Adams,  merchant, 
of  London: 

"One  farther  request  and  I  am  done,  to  search  the 
Herald's  office  for  the  Arms  of  my  family.  I  have  what  I 
have  been  old  were  the  family  Arms,  but  on  what  authority 
I  know  not,  it  is  probable  there  may  be  none,  if  so  I  would 
with  your  assistance  become  a  purchaser,  having  Sterne's 
word  for  it  that  a  coat-of-arms  may  be  purchased  as  cheap 
as  any  other  coat." 

135 


COLONIAL  VIRGLXLV,   11^  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

III— FESTIVITIES 

Among  otlier  things  brought  by  the  Virgmians  from 
EngLand  was  love  of  pleasure  which  asserted  itself  as  soon 
as  the  hardships  of  settlement  days  and  the  terrors  of  the 
massacres  were  behind  them.  Firearms  played  an  impor- 
tant part  in  their  life,  not  only  for  protection  from  the 
Indians,  but  for  giving  dash  to  their  frolics,  and  it  was  easy 
enough  to  provide  this  when  every  man  carried  a  gun  upon 
all  occasions;  for  during  the  times  of  the  red-skin  menace 
preparedness  was,  in  effect  if  not  in  name,  the  watchword 
of  the  colonist.  It  was  against  the  law  for  a  man  to  go 
to  church  unarmed,  and  in  1G2G  the  Governor  and  Council 
ordered  that  no  man  work  in  the  fields  without  arms  and 
an  armed  sentinel  to  keep  watch. 

Tlie  first  suggestion  of  merry-making  in  my  notes  is 
a  proclamation,  issued  in  1027,  against  "  spending  powder 
at  meetings,  drinkings,  marriages  and  entertainments," 
because  a  war  with  the  Indians  was  expected.  On  October 
2.3,  1719,  being  the  anniversary  of  the  coronation  of  his 
Majesty  George  I,  a  negro  slave,  named  Priemus,  "  had 
his  right  arm  shot  oft'  in  firing  tlie  great  guns  in  Williams- 
burg," and  as  late  as  1773  Philip  Fithian,  tlie  tutor,  was 
aroused  from  his  slumbers  at "  Xomini  Hall  "  on  Christmas 
morning  by  "  gims  fired  all  around  the  house." 

White  and  colored  in  the  colony  loved  anniversaries 
and  festivals.  Francis  Louis  Michel,  who  wrote  an  account 
of  his  "  Journey  "  from  Switzerland  to  Virginia,  in  1701, 
says  that  harvest  time  was  one  of  the  principal  seasons  of 
festivity  and  that  it  was  the  "  custom  of  the  country  " 
wlien  the  harvest  was  ready  to  be  gathered  in  to  prepare 
a  big  dinner  and  invite  all  the  neighbors.  As  there  were 
often  thirty  to  fifty  persons  cutting  grain,  the  work  would 

ISO 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


last  only  two  hours.  The  rest  of  the  day  was,  of  course, 
given  up  to  jollity/^ 

A  similar  festival  for  the  negroes,  which  was  held 
throughout  Virginia  until  the  War  between  the  States  and 
doubtless  began  far  back  in  the  colonial  period,  was  the 
corn-shucking.  For  this,  moonlight  nights  in  October  were 
chosen.  The  negroes  of  a  neighborhood  gathered  at  each 
plantation  in  turn,  where  plenty  to  eat  and  drink  was  pro- 
vided, and,  with  laughter  and  song,  antics  and  buffoonery 
which  would  make  a  modern  minstrel  show  appear  tame, 
would  in  a  few  hours'  time  shuck  out  the  crop  of  corn  which 
had  been  cut  and  gathered  in  the  barn  ready  for  the  frolic. 

Let  us  see  Mr.  Blair,  the  honorable  President  of  his 
^Majesty's  Council,  making  holiday.  According  to  his 
diary,  on  January  8,  1751 — the  fourteenth  day  after 
Christmas — he  "  Dined  at  Col.  Burwell's  &  staid  all  night 
&  danced  &  drew  14th  cake."  On  January  11  he  "  Had 
a  dance  &  cake  at  Mr.  Cocke's,"  and  on  February  2  spent 
"  a  good  Candlemas  day.  Had  Company  from  ye  College." 

St.  Andrew's  Day  and  Shrove  Tuesday — or  "  Pancake 
Day " — were  other  popular  merry-making  occasions. 
Colonel  James  Gordon,  of  "  Merry  Point,"  tells  how  his 
wife  visited  Mr.  Criswell's  school  in  the  neighborhood,  in 
1758,  and  "  treated  the  scholars  to  pancakes  and  cider,  it 
being  Shrove  Tuesday,  &  prevailed  on  Mr.  Criswell  to  give 
them  play." 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1762,  Colonel  Gordon  "  had  a 
large  company  "  at  "  Merry  Point,"  and  on  "  Twelfth 
Day  "  Mrs.  Conway  and  her  children.  Colonel  Tayloe,  and 
Dale  Carter  dined  and  spent  the  night  with  him  and  his 
family. 

Fithian  speaks  of  Good  Friday  as  a  "  general  holiday," 

^^  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  xxiv,  32. 

137 


COLOxMAL  VIRGINU,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND    CUSTOMS 

and  writing  on  Easter  Monday  says,  "  The  negroes  are 
now  all  disbanded  'till  Wednesday  ^lorning  &  are  at  Cock 
fights  through  the  country." 

The  birthdays  of  members  of  the  royal  family  were 
special  holidays  in  the  loyal  colony,  especially  in  Williams- 
burg, as  the  local  columns  of  the  Virgina  Gazette  show. 
For  instance,  in  1736  the  birthday  of  the  Prince  of  Wales 
was  celebrated  by  "  firing  of  guns,  displaying  of  colors 
and  other  public  demonstrations  of  joy,  and  at  night  his 
Honor,  the  Governor,  gave  a  ball  and  an  elegant  enter- 
tainment to  the  ladies  and  gentlemen." 

The  King's  birthday,  a  few  months  later,  was  cele- 
brated in  like  fashion,  while  upon  the  night  of  his  Majesty's 
birthday  in  17.52  "  the  whole  city  was  illimiinated  "  and 
there  was  a  ball  at  the  "  Palace,"  where  were  present  "  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  of  the  Cherokee's  Nation  with  their 
Son,  the  young  Prince,  and  a  brilliant  appearance  of 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen.  Several  beautiful  Fireworks  were 
exhibited  in  Palace  Street  by  JNIr.  Hallam,  ^lanager  of 
the  Theatre  in  this  City,  and  the  evening  concluded  with 
every  Demonstration  of  our  Zeal  and  Loyalty." 

Upon  another  occasion  the  President  of  tlie  Council 
kept  "  the  birthday  "  in  an  "  extra  manner,  by  adding  to 
his  elegant  entertainment  for  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  a 
purse  of  fifty  pistoles  to  be  distributed  amongst  the  poor." 

In  17C9,  on  the  Queen's  birthday,  the  "  flag  was  dis- 
played on  the  Capitol  and  in  the  evening  his  Excellency, 
the  Governor,  gave  a  splendid  ball  and  entertainment  at 
the  Palace  to  a  very  numerous  and  polite  company  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen." 

The  j)roc]amation  of  a  new  sovereign  was  an  occasion 
of  even  greater  festivity  than  a  royal  birtlulay.  The 
staunchly  protcstant  and  liberty-loving  Virginians  hailed 

138 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


with  delight  the  accession  of  WiUiam  and  Mary.  We 
find  among  the  records  of  Henrico  County  an  account  of 
a  meeting  held  at  Varina,  "  where  were  present  the  Com- 
missioned Officers  of  the  County,  civil  and  military,  the 
settled  militia  thereof  and  other  inhabitants,  when  their 
royal  Majesties  William  and  Mary  were  proclaimed  with 
firing  of  guns,  beating  of  drum,  Sound  of  trumpet  and  ye 
universal  Shouts  and  Huzzahs  of  ye  people  assembled." 

JNIuch  more  elaborate  ceremonies,  at  Williamsburg, 
commemorated  the  death  of  William  and  the  accession  of 
Anne.  On  the  18th  of  May,  1702,  the  Governor  called 
together  the  militia  of  the  six  nearest  counties,  and  repre- 
sentatives from  the  Indians.  Three  stands  were  erected 
in  front  of  the  College,  two  batteries  were  placed,  and  the 
troops — horse  and  foot — were  drawn  up  in  line  to  the  num- 
ber of  about  two  thousand.  In  the  upper  balcony  of  the 
College  were  buglers  from  the  warships,  in  the  second 
oboes,  in  the  lower  violinists,  which  at  times  played  sepa- 
rately and  at  times  together.  When  the  proclamation  of 
the  king's  death  was  to  be  made  they  played  "  very  mov- 
ingly and  mournfully."  The  flags  were  covered  with  crape 
and  borne  by  men  in  mourning,  and  the  Governor  fol- 
lowed on  a  white  horse  draped  with  black.  Dr.  James 
Blair  delivered  a  funeral  oration,  and  after  it  the  Governor 
withdrew,  but  returned  in  a  little  while  di'essed  in  a  blue 
uniform  trimmed  with  gold  braid.  The  musicians  now 
played  a  lively  air,  flags  were  undraped,  the  accession  of 
Queen  Anne  was  proclaimed,  and  a  salute  from  small  arms 
and  cannon  fired. 

The  Governor  then  entertained  all  of  the  prominent 
people  "  right  royally,"  and  "  each  ordinary  person  was 
given  a  glass  of  rum  or  brandy."    That  night  there  were 

139 


COLONIAL  VIRGL\L\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

■ 

fireworks  and  the  next  day  shooting  matches  and  more  mili- 
tary' manoeuvres. 

The  arrival  of  a  new  governor,  the  election  of  a  mayor, 
every  propitious  event  was  an  excuse  for  merry-making. 
Says  the  Gazette  of  June  20,  1766: 

"  Our  gratitude  and  thankfulness  upon  the  joyful  occa- 
sion of  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  and  the  universal 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  it  gives  that  all  differences  be- 
tween the  JNIother  Country  and  her  Colonies  are  so  happily 
terminated  was  manifested  here  by  general  illuminations 
and  a  ball  and  elegant  entertainment  at  the  Capitol,  at 
wliich  was  present  his  Honor  the  Governor,  many  of  the 
members  of  his  Majesty's  Council  and  a  large  and  genteel 
Company  of  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  who  spent  the  evening 
with  much  mirth  and  decorum,  and  drank  all  the  loyal  and 
patriotic  toasts." 

John  Kello,  in  a  letter  to  London  from  Hampton,  Vir- 
ginia, in  1755,  declared,  "  Dancing  is  the  chief  diversion 
here,  and  hunting  and  racing,"  and  the  Englisli  traveller 
Burnaby  said  of  the  women,  "  They  are  inordinately  fond 
of  dancing,  and  indeed  it  is  almost  their  only  amusement." 
He  ungallantly  added,  "  in  this  they  discover  great  want 
of  taste  and  elegance  and  seldom  appear  with  the  grace 
and  ease  which  those  movements  are  so  calculated  to 
display." 

There  is  abundant  evidence  that  dancing  was  by  far  the 
most  generally  popular  amusement  in  the  colony.  Wher- 
ever there  w^as  "  company  "  there  was  dancing.  Every- 
body danced.  Girls  and  boys,  men  and  women  capered 
fantastically  in  jigs  and  reels,  stepped  forward  and  back 
and  turned  their  partners  in  the  picturesque  countn^-  dances 
— later  known  as  square  dances,  or  quadrilles — tripped 

uo 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


through  the  roUicking  and  immensely  popular  Sir  Roger 
de  Coverley — which  under  the  name  of  the  "  Virginia 
reel  "  was  the  last  dance  at  eveiy  ball  mitil  long  after  the 
War  between  the  States — or  courtsied  low  to  each  other  in 
the  rhytlunic  minuet. 

Indeed  "  company  "  was  not  necessary  where  nearly 
every  family  was  large  enough  for  an  impromptu  dance, 
and  probably  as  great  a  proportion  of  them  as  now  have 
phonographs  could  boast  of  negro  fiddlers  who  could  "  call 
figures." 

Fithian  tells  how  one  night  after  supper  at  "  Nomini  " 
"  the  waiting  man  played  and  the  young  ladies  spent  the 
evening  merrily  in  dancing." 

Burnaby  thought  that  the  jigs  were  borrowed  from  the 
negroes,  but  he  was  mistaken.  The  negroes  had,  and  still 
liave,  grotesque  dances  of  their  own,  but  it  is  much  more 
likely  that  they  got  their  quaint  jigs  from  the  white  people 
whose  forefathers  had  danced  them  time  out  of  mind  in  the 
old  country.    Here  is  Burnaby's  description  of  jigs: 

"  These  dances  are  without  any  method  or  regularity. 
A  gentleman  and  lady  stand  up  and  dance  about  the  room, 
one  of  them  retiring,  the  other  pursuing,  then  perhaps 
meeting,  in  an  irregular,  fantastic  manner.  After  some 
time  another  lady  gets  up  and  the  first  lady  must  sit  down, 
she  being,  as  they  term  it,  cut  out;  the  second  lady  acts 
the  same  part  which  the  first  one  did  till  somebody  cuts 
her  out.     The  gentlemen  perform  the  same  manner." 

In  1762  Charles  Carter  of  "  Cleve,"  in  King  George 
County,  directed  in  his  will  that  his  sons  be  sent  to  Eng- 
land to  be  educated  and  his  daughters  "  brought  up  frugally 
and  taught  to  dance." 

Learning  to  dance  was  considered  an  important  part  of 
education  in  the  colony,  and  throughout  the  eighteenth 
10  "        1*1 


COLONUL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

century  there  were  plenty  of  professional  dancing  teachers 
— men  and  women.  In  ITIO  permission  was  given  William 
Levingston  to  use  a  room  in  William  and  ^laiy  College 
"  for  teaching  the  students  and  others  to  dance  until  his 
own  dancing  school  in  \Villiamsburg  be  finished." 

The  Williamsburg  players,  Charles  Stagg  and  his  wife, 
supplemented  their  income  by  teaching  dancing  and  giving 
balls  and  "  assemblies,"  and  after  her  husband's  death 
Mistress  Stagg  continued  in  the  business,  with,  for  rival, 
another  widow,  Madame  la  Baronne  de  Graffenreidt, 
whose  husband,  Christopher  de  Graffenreidt,  of  Berne, 
Switzerland,  had  brought  a  colony  of  Swiss  and  Palatines 
to  North  Carolina  in  1709. 

In  1735  Colonel  Byrd,  writing  to  Sir  John  Randolph 
that  Madame  la  Baronne  was  hoping  to  succeed  to  part  of 
Mr.  Stagg's  business,  said: 

"  Were  it  not  for  making  my  good  Lady  jealous  (which 
I  would  not  do  for  the  world)  I  would  recommend  her  to 
your  favor.  She  really  takes  abundance  of  pains  and 
teaches  well,  and  were  you  to  attack  her  virtue  you  would 
find  her  as  chaste  as  Lucretia." 

Between  them  these  ladies  evidently  made  the  little 
capital  very  gay,  for  advertisements  in  the  Gazette  show 
that  their  entertainments  were  frequent  and  varied, 
^ladame  de  (xraffenreidt  announced  a  ball  on  the  2()th  of 
April,  1737,  and  an  assembly  on  the  27th — for  both  of 
which  tickets  could  be  purchased  "  out  at  her  house."  On 
the  28th  and  29th  of  the  same  month  Mrs.  Stagg  gave 
assemblies,  "  at  the  Cn])itol,"  where  tickets  were  "  half  a 
pistole,"  and  there  were  "  several  valuable  things  to  be 
raffled  for."  In  March,  1738,  Mrs.  Stagg  advertised  an 
assembly  at  the  Capitol  when  "  several  grotesque  dances 
never  yet  performed   in   Virginia  "  were  promised,  some 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


valuable  goods  would  be  put  up  to  be  raffled  for,  and  "  also 
a  likely  young  negro  fellow." 

Not  to  be  outdone,  INIadanie  de  Graff  enreidt  announced 
for  a  few  days  later  a  ball  at  which  would  be  put  up  to  be 
raffled  for  "  a  likely  young  Virginia  negro  woman  fit  for 
house  business,  and  her  child." 

"Queer  people!"  I  hear  the  reader  say.  A  more 
fitting  comment  would  be  "  queer  times!  " 

The  ladies  had  another  rival  in  William  Dering,  who 
advertised  in  17S7\that  he  couH  teach  "all  gentleman's 
sons  "  to  dance  "  in  the  newest  French  manner." 

In  the  Gazette  also  appear  references  to  frequent  public 
balls  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Shields,  the  daughter  of  a  French 
Huguenot  who  kept  a  tavern  in  Williamsburg,  and  the 
wife  successively,  of  three  husbands,  the  earliest  of  whom 
was  the  first  Grammar  Master  of  William  and  Mary,  the 
other  two  tavern-keepers  of  Williamsburg.  Both  Madame 
de  GrafFenreidt  and  Mrs.  Sliields  have  descendants  among 
prominent  Virginia  families  of  to-day. 

Among  later  Williamsburg  dancing  teachers  was  Le 
Chevalier  de  Peyronny  who,  in  1752,  advertised  in  the 
Gazette  for  pupils  in  "  the  art  of  Fencing,  Dancing  and  the 
French  Tongue."  In  the  same  year  Alexander  Finnic 
announced  that  he  proposed  to  have  "  a  Ball  at  the  Apollo, 
in  Williamsburg  once  every  week  during  the  Sitting  of  the 
Assembly  and  General  Court." 

In  1750  Edward  Dial  advertised  in  the  Gazette  that  he 
would  have  an  Assembly  at  his  dwelling  house,  in  Norfolk. 

George  Washington  came  naturally  by  a  taste  for 
dancing.  In  1754  his  friend  Daniel  Campbell  wrote  him 
of  having  "  lately  had  the  honor  to  dance  "  with  his  mother, 
who  was  then  a  widow  of  forty-six  and  a  grandmother. 
Among  balls  in  various  places  which  her  famous  son's  diary 

143 


COLONIAL  MRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

shows  that  he  attended  was  one  in  Alexandria,  in  1760, 
where  he  says  "  abounded  great  plenty  of  bread  and  butter, 
some  biscuits  with  tea  and  coffee  which  the  drinkers  of 
could  not  distinguish  from  hot  water  sweetened.  Be  it 
remembered  that  pocket  handkerchiefs  served  the  purposes 
of  tablecloths  and  napkins  and  that  no  apologies  were 
made  for  either.  1  sliall  therefore  distinguish  this  ball  by 
the  style  and  title  of  tlie  bread  and  butter  ball." 

Kercheval  tells  us  that  even  in  The  Valley,  which  was 
settled  chiefly  by  Scotch-Irish  and  Germans  who  are  sup- 
posed to  have  had  stricter  ideas  in  regard  to  worldly  pleas- 
ures, dancing  three  and  four-handed  reels  and  jigs  was  the 
principal  amusement  of  the  young  people.  They  also  had 
a  dance  called  "  the  Irish  trot  "  from  which  it  seems  that 
the  word  trot  as  the  name  for  a  dance  is  not  so  modern 
after  all.  The  Augusta  Records  bear  witness  that  in  17G3 
there  were  at  least  two  dancing  masters  in  that  mountain 
county — Ephraim  Hubbard  and  James  Robinson,  by  name. 

From  the  seventeen-fifties  to  the  seventeen-seventies 
there  was  in  the  colony  a  celebrated  dancing  master  named 
Christian  who  went  about  holding  classes  in  country  neigh- 
borhoods. About  the  earliest  mention  of  him  is  in  1758 
when  he  was  paid  twenty  pounds  for  teaching  his  art  to 
l*riscilla  and  Mary  Rootes,  of  King  and  Queen  County. 
In  1773  he  had  classes  at  several  houses  in  Westmoreland 
and  the  neighboring  counties,  among  them  "  Stratford  " 
and  "  Nomini  Hall,"  and  P^ithian's  diary  gives  us  a  lively 
picture  of  the  one  at  "  Nomini."  The  pupils  arrived  early 
Friday  morning  and  Fithian  gave  his  own  scliool  lioliday. 
There  were  present  eleven  "  young  misses  "  wonderfully 
arrayed,  seven  "  young  fellows,"  and  several  older  people. 
Under  Mr.  Christian's  direction  they  danced  most  of  that 
day  and   the  next.     First  there  were  "  several  minuets 

144 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


danced  with  great  ease  and  propriety,  after  which  the  whole 
company  joined  in  coiuitry  dances,"  and  the  tutor  decided 
that  "  it  was  indeed  beautiful  to  admiration  to  see  such 
a  number  of  young  persons  set  off  by  dress  to  the  best 
advantage  moving  easily  to  the  sound  of  well  performed 
music." 

The  lesson  continued  from  immediately  after  break- 
fast until  two  o'clock,  when  there  was  a  rest  until  dinner, 
which  was  served  at  half-past  three.  Soon  afterward,  all 
"  repaired  to  the  dancing  room  again  "  and  kept  it  up 
until  dusk,  when  there  was  another  brief  rest;  but  they  were 
on  with  the  dance  again  from  half-past  six  until  half-past 
seven,  when  ]Mr.  Christian  withdrew  and  the  company 
"  played  Button  to  get  pawns  for  redemption  "  until  the 
half-past  eight  supper  time.  The  scruples  created  by  early 
training  had  restrained  the  straight-laced  Presbyterian 
tutor  from  taking  part  in  the  dancing,  though  being  but 
human,  and  young  at  that,  he  could  not  help  enjoying 
looking  on,  but  he  joined  in  the  game  of  "  button  "  and 
complacently  remarks,  "  In  redeeming  my  pawns  I  had 
several  kisses  of  the  ladies."    He  continues : 

'*  The  supper  room  looked  luminous  and  splendid;  four 
very  large  candles  burning  on  the  table  where  we  supped; 
three  others  in  different  parts  of  the  room;  and  a  gay, 
sociable  assembly,  &  four  well  instructed  waiters.  After 
supper  the  company  formed  into  a  semicircle  around  the 
fire  &  INIr.  Lee  was  chosen  Pope,  ^Ir.  Carter,  Mr.  Christian, 
^Irs.  Carter,  ^Irs.  Lee  and  the  rest  of  the  company  ap- 
pointed friars  in  the  play  called  Break  the  Pope's  Neck." 

In  an  entry  in  his  diary  in  1774  Colonel  Landon  Carter, 
of  "  Sabine  Hall,"  rejoices  that  Christian  has  stopped  his 
dancing  classes  in  the  neighborhood,  as  the  schoolboys  lost 
two  days  in  every  three  weeks. 

145 


COLONIAL  MRGLMA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

Fithian  also  tells  of  a  ball  given  in  January,  1773, 
by  "  Squire  "  Richard  Lee — then  a  bachelor — of  "  Lee 
Hall,"  a  few  miles  from  "  Xomini."  It  lasted  four  days — 
from  ^londay  morning  until  Thursday  night — when  the 
**  upwards  of  seventy  "  guests,  "  quite  wearied  out,"  de- 
parted, though  their  host  "  entreated  them  to  stay  longer." 
"  JMrs.  Carter,  Miss  Prissy  and  Miss  Xancy,  dressed  splen- 
didly, set  away  from  home  at  two  on  Monday."  They  re- 
turned on  Tuesday  night,  but  were  off  to  "  Lee  Hall  " 
in  time  for  dinner  again  on  Wednesday,  taking  Mr.  Fithian 
with  them.  "  The  ladies  dined  first,  when  some  good  order 
was  presen'^ed;  when  they  rose  each  nimblest  fellow  dined 
first."  The  dinner  was  "  as  elegant  as  could  be  expected 
when  so  great  an  assembly  was  entertained  for  so  long  a 
time."  The  drinkables  served  were  several  sorts  of  wine, 
lemon  punch,  toddy,  cider,  and  porter.  At  about  seven  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen  began  to  dance  in  the  ballroom  to  the 
nmsic  of  a  French  horn  and  two  violins.  First  there  was  a 
minuet;  jigs  followed,  then  reels,  and  last  of  all  "  country 
dances  with  occasional  marches." 

Fithian  was  a  fascinated  observer  of  it  all,  but  his  knowl- 
edge of  dances  was  limited ;  a  countrj^  dance  with  occasional 
marches  was  doubtless  the  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley — or 
\'iiginia  reel. 

"  The  ladies  were  dressed  gay  and  splendid  &  when 
dancing  their  skirts  &  Rrocades  rustled  and  trailed  behind 
them."  But  all  did  not  dance.  There  were  parties  in  other 
rooms — evidently  of  men — some  of  whom  were  "  at  cards, 
some  drinking,  some  toasting  the  sons  of  America  and 
singing  Liberty  vSongs."  One  of  these  who  was  ratlier  the 
worse  for  his  own  part  in  the  nicriy-making,  noticing  that 
the  gentleman  from  Princeton  neither  danced,  drank,  nor 

U6 


GOVKUNOll  Silt  WIl.l.lA.M   I!1;KK  KI.KV 
About  l()(i:. 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


played,  more  pointedly  than  politely  asked  him  why  he 
came  to  the  party. 

A  hundred  years  before  Fithian  made  his  sprightly 
word-pictures  of  life  at  "  Nomini,"  "  Stratford,"  and  "  Lee 
Hall,"  in  old  Westmoreland  Comity,  the  neighborhood  was 
a  social  one. 

There  is  on  record  in  the  county  a  quaint  **  agreement  " 
between  Mr.  Corbin,  Mr.  Lee,  Mr.  Gerrard,  and  Mr.  Aller- 
ton,  made  in  1670.  These  four  gentlemen  were  *'  for  the 
continuance  of  good  neighborhood,"  to  build  a  banqueting 
house  in  which  "  each  man  or  his  heirs  "  in  turn,  had  to  make 
"  an  Honorable  treatment  fit  to  entertain  the  undertakers 
thereof,  their  wives,  mistresses  &  friends,  yearly  &  every 
year." 


COLONIAL  VmGINL\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

IV— GAMING— TAVERNS— FAIRS,  ET  CETERA 

The  Colonial  age  was  a  gambling  age,  and  in  Virginia, 
as  in  Great  Britain  and  the  other  colonies,  men  of  all  ranks 
caught  the  infection.  In  addition  to  the  betting  at  horse 
races  and  cock  fights,  almost  every  kind  of  game  became, 
upon  occasion,  a  gambling  game.  A  few  characteristic 
items  from  a  mass  of  evidence  will  serve  as  illustrations. 

In  1G4G  John  Bradshaw  and  Richard  Smyth,  of  Lower 
Norfolk  County,  were  fined  a  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco 
for  "  unlawful  gaming  at  cards."  The  Henrico  County 
records  of  1681  show  us  ^Ir.  Thomas  Cocke,  Jr.,  a  gentle- 
man of  prominence,  playing  ninepins  "  at  the  ordinary^ " 
at  Varina,  with  Richard  Rathbone  and  Robert  Sharpe — 
"  the  first  four  games  to  win,  31  up  " — for  four  hundred 
pounds  of  tobacco,  and  in  the  following  year  we  find  him 
playing  again  with  Sharpe  for  a  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco 
a  game.  In  1G82  "  Mr.  Pygott,"  also  of  Henrico,  won 
seven  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  from  Martin  Elam  and 
John  Milner  at  a  game  of  *'  Cross  and  pile,"  and  in  1685 
Giles  Carter  won  five  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  from 
Charles  Steward  at  a  game  of  dice,  and  Captain  William 
Soane  fifteen  pounds  of  tobacco  from  Mr.  AVilliam  Dear- 
love  at  a  game  of  "  putt." 

Taverns  and  inns — or  "  ordinaries  "  as  they  were  most 
commonly  called — where  there  were  billiard  tables  and 
bowling  alleys,  were  favorite  places  for  indulging  the 
gaml)ling  rage.  George  Fisher  says  in  his  diary  that  dur- 
ing his  horseback  ride  from  Williamsburg  to  Philadelphia 
he  passed  Chiswell's  ordinary,  in  Hanover  County,  at  about 
elglit  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  that  in  tlie  room  he  entered 
two  j)lanters  were  "  at  cards."  "  Sometbing  after  ten  "  he 
reached  "  Ashleys,"  where  he  saw  **  a  number  of  planters 
at  ninepins,"  and  at  Mills'  ordinary,  which  he  passed  at 

148 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


three  o'clock,  there  "  were  likewise  a  great  number  of  peo- 
ple at  ninepiiis." 

At  the  Augusta  County  Court,  in  1762,  several  persons 
swore  that  they  saw  John  Boyers,  Gentleman,  "  gaming 
at  an  unlawful  game  called  hazard,  or  seven  and  eleven, 
at  the  house  of  Francis  Tyler,  ordinary  keeper  in  Staun- 
ton" Another  game  played  at  Tyler's  ordinary  was  called 
"  pass  and  no  pass." 

According  to  the  "  Recollections  "  of  David  Meade, 
William  Byrd,  the  third,  of  "  Westover,"  the  only  son  of 
his  distinguished  father,  went  to  England  before  he  was 
of  age  and  there  engaged  in  "  all  the  prodigalities  and 
dissipations  to  which  young  men  of  rank  and  fashion  are 
addicted,"  but  he  gambled  "  as  a  fashionable  amusement 
merely — avarice  being  a  passion  alien  to  his  breast." 

Virginia  gossip  said  that  at  a  noted  gaming  table  in 
London  this  young  gentleman  lost  ten  thousand  pounds 
sterling  at  a  single  sitting  to  the  Duke  of  Cumberland. 
The  memorandum  book  of  President  John  Blair  of  the 
honorable  Council  shows  that  he,  in  1753,  won  of  young 
Byrd  £l9;7  at  "  Westover,"  and  ,£192.8.6  at  Williams- 
burg. 

Mr.  Blair  also  won  money  of  Mr.  Armistead  Burwell; 
£17.3  of  Mr.  Sackville  Brewer,  and  £1.10—"  at  back- 
gammon " — of  Mr.  Burwell  Bassett,  and  lost  £l7.3  to  Mr. 
Thomas  Swann,  "  at  billiards." 

All  of  these  were  gentlemen  of  "  quality." 

In  1772  Colonel  Landon  Carter,  suspecting  that  his 
yoimg  sons  h&d  been  at  the  gaming  table,  confided  to  his 
diary,  "  Burn  me,  if  I  pay  anything  more  for  such  sport." 

Apropos  of  taverns  a  quaint  writer  of  the  time  of 
Bacon's  Rebellion  said  that  most  of  the  inhabitants  of 

149 


COLONIAL  MKGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Jamestown  made  a  living  "  keeping  ordinaries  at  extraordi- 
nary rates."  The  number  of  visitors  eonstantly  coming 
to  the  little  town  by  ship  and  over  land  doubtless  made 
tavern-keeping  a  brisk  business,  but  the  charges  were  fixed 
by  law.  Here  is  a  list  of  rates  from  the  Middlesex  records 
of  1770: 

Pursuant  to  Law  the  Court  doth  set  the  following  Rates  and 
Prices  for  Liquors,  Diet,  Lodging,  Provender,  Stableage,  Fodder 
and  Pasturage  to  be  paid  at  the  several  Ordinarys  in  this  County 
for  the 


Canary  Wine  or  Malhiga,  the  quart 

Sherry,  the  quart 

Madeira  Wine  the  quart 

Claret  the  quart 

White  wine  the  quart 

Rhenish  the  quart 

Nants  or  French  Brandy  the  gallon 

Rum  the  gallon 

Knghsh  or  A'irginia  Brandy  the  Gallon 

A  quart  of  Arrack  made  into  punch 

A  j)int  of  rum  made  into  punch  with  white  sugar 

A  quart  of  Madeira  Wine  made  into  Sangarec  or 

lemonade   with   tlie   same 

A  i)int  of  English  or  Va.  Brandy  made  into  punch 

with  the  same 

English  strong  heer  or  ale,  the  bottle 

'J'lie  same,  tiie  (juart 

Virginia  Ale  the  quart 

\'irginia  Small  heer  the  (juart 

(iood  Cyder,  the  gallon 

Good  Hughes  best  apple  Cyder  the  quart 

A  dinner  with  good  siiuill  heer 

A  breakfast  or  supper  with  good  small  beer 

A  night's  Lodging  with  clean  sheets 

Pasturage  for  a  Horse  for  twenty-four  hours 

Stahlage  for  a  horse  for  twenty-four  hours 

Corn  or  Oats  per  Gallon 

IJO 


s 

D 

4 

3 

4 

5 

3 

1. 

6 

16 

10 

6 

10 

1. 

6 

4. 

6 

1 

1. 

6 

1. 

S 

^2 

4 

1. 

3 

8 

1. 

3 

1. 

6 

6 

6 

6 

SOCIAL  LIFE 


Taverns  at  the  county  seats  were  throughout  the  period 
centres  of  social  and  political  life,  especially  upon  court 
days,  which  l)eaniing  hosts  turned  into  feast  days  for  the 
guests  that  boisterously  overflowed  them.  The  most  famous 
of  them  all  was  the  Raleigh  Tavern,  at  Williamsburg — 
a  square  wooden  building  with  many  dormer  windows  and 
a  leaden  bust  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  over  the  door.  Its 
chief  pride  was  a  wainscoted  banqueting  hall  named  after 
an  apartment  in  a  famous  London  tavern,  the  "  Apollo 
Room,"  which  was  the  scene  of  many  brilliant  balls  and 
assemblies  and  notable  political  gatherings,  not  only  before 
the  Revolution,  but  long  afterward.  In  1742  the  Raleigh 
was  kept  by  one  Henry  Wetherburn,  whose  fame  as  a 
mixer  of  punch  has  been  preserved  by  the  Goochland 
County  records.  William  Randolph  of  "  Tuckahoe  "  sold 
to  his  friend  Peter  Jefferson — the  father  of  Thomas  Jef- 
f erson — two  hundred  acres  of  land  for  mine  host  Wether- 
burn's  "  biggest  bowl  of  Arrack  punch."  The  deed  was 
duly  recorded  in  Goochland  where  it  may  be  seen  to-day. 

Fisher  makes  special  mention  of  the  unusually  hand- 
some furniture  in  a  tavern  in  the  town  of  Leeds  which  he 
visited  during  his  horseback  journey  in  17.55,    He  says: 

"  The  Chairs,  Tables,  &c.  of  the  Room  I  was  conducted 
into  was  all  of  mahogany  and  so  stuft  with  fine,  large 
glaized  copperplate  prints  that  I  almost  fancied  myself  in 
Jeffries'  or  some  other  elegant  print  shop." 

Among  the  many  other  famous  colonial  taverns  were 
the  "  Rose  and  Crown,"  in  Hampton,  and  the  "  Rising 
Sun,"  in  Fredericksburg.^* 

A  form  of  gambling  extremely  popular  and  generally 
countenanced  in  Virginia  was  the  lottery  for  disposing  of 
property  of  various  kinds  and  raising  money  for  sundry 

"  Now  the  property  of  The  Association  for  the  Preservation 
of  Va.  Antiquities. 

151 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

purposes.  In  1753  the  Gazette  advertised  a  lottery  to  raise 
money  for  preservinf^  the  country  against  the  French. 
There  were  to  be  25,000  tickets  at  a  pistole  each,  and  2050 
of  them  were  to  draw  jjrizes.  In  17G8  Richard  Graves 
announced  a  lottery  to  dispose  of  his  estate  in  New  Kent 
consisting  of  his  plantation,  furniture,  livestock,  slaves, 
and  a  double  chair  and  harness  for  two  horses. 

In  his  advertisement  he  appealed  to  the  public  to  take 
chances  and  "  have  the  pleasure  of  affording  some  relief 
to  a  distressed  but  deserving  family,"  declaring  that  his 
"  misfortunes  were  not  occasioned  by  any  want  of  industry 
but  by  accidents  and  his  too  hospitable,  friendly  and  gen- 
erous temper,  which  all  his  acquaintance  can  testify." 

Among  other  lotteries  advertised  in  the  Gazette  of 
1768  was  one  by  William  Byrd,  third,  for  disposing  of  his 
property  at  Shockhoe  and  Rocky  Ridge,  as  Richmond  and 
Manchester  were  then  called,  and  one  "  for  raising  the 
sum  of  £900  to  make  a  road  over  the  mountains  to  the 
Warm  and  Hot  Springs  in  Augusta  County." 

Tlie  healing  properties  of  the  mineral  springs  witli 
which  the  Virginia  mountains  abound  brought  going  to  the 
springs  into  fashion  in  the  seventeen-forties,  and  thence- 
forward many  of  the  low  comitry  planters  journeyed  by 
coach-and-six,  over  hill,  over  dale,  to  give  their  families  the 
benefit  of  the  change  to  bracing  mountain  air  and  let  them 
drink  of  and  batlic  in  tlic  healtli-giving  waters.  In  June, 
1747,  Henry  Lee,  of  Westmoreland,  was  at  Berkeley 
Springs.  During  the  same  summer  the  Reverend  L. 
wSchnell,  a  ^loravian  missionary  of  Pennsylvania,  visited 
them,  and  in  his  "  Diary  of  a  Journey  to  Maryland  and 
Virginia  "  says  lie  saw  "  many  sick  people  "  there. 

In  1750  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  who  also  kept  a  diary, 
"  went  to  the  Hot  Springs  and  found  six  invalids  there." 

I5i 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


In  1769  Fielding  Lewis  wrote  to  Washington: 

"  I  hope  you  have  had  an  agreeable  Journey  to  the 
Springs  and  that  INIiss  Custis  has  been  benefited  by  them." 

Of  coui'se  the  accommodations  at  these  watering  places 
were  extremely  primitive.  Life  at  them  was  doubtless  not 
unhke  that  enjoyed  in  the  mountain  camps  of  to-day.  In 
addition  to  their  taverns,  doubtless  some  of  the  frequenters 
of  all  of  them,  as  at  Capon  Springs  on  North  Mountain, 
put  up  "  cottages  to  shelter  them." 

Going  to  the  fair  is  another  diversion  which  began  in 
colonial  days.  It  was,  like  the  old  English  fair,  a  market — 
its  special  object  being  to  bring  buyers  and  sellers  to- 
gether— but,  also  like  the  English  fair,  it  was  accompanied 
by  various  amusements.  As  early  as  1665  the  Governor 
and  Council  ordered  that  a  fair  be  held  twice  each  year 
at  Jamestown.  In  1737  the  Virginia  Gazette  announced 
that  a  fair  was  to  be  held  in  Williamsburg  twice  yearly 
and  that  prizes  in  money  would  be  awarded  for  the  best 
display  of  horses,  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs.  The  advertise- 
ment continues : 

"  The  fair  is  to  hold  three  days  and  there  will  be  horse- 
racing  and  a  variety  of  diversions  everj''  day,  and  the  fol- 
lowing prizes  to  be  contended  for.  A  good  hat  to  be 
cudgelled  for.  A  saddle  to  be  run  for — a  handsome  bridle 
for  the  horse  that  comes  in  second  and  a  good  whip  for  the 
third.  A  pair  of  silver  buckles  to  be  run  for,  by  men, 
from  the  College  to  the  Capitol — a  pair  of  shoes  to  him 
that  comes  in  second,  a  pair  of  gloves  to  the  third.  A 
pair  of  pumps  to  be  danced  for  by  men.  A  handsome 
firelock  to  be  exercised  for.  A  pig  with  his  tail  soaped  to 
be  run  after  and  given  to  the  person  that  catches  him  and 
lifts  him  off  the  ground  by  his  tail." 

153 


COLONIAL  VIIUiLXLV,   ITS  ri:()PLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

Tlie  next  issue  of  tlic  paper  tokl  of  the  suceess  of  the 
fair.  The  Gazette  also  eontains  a  number  of  references 
to  the  Fredericksburg  fair,  which  seems  to  have  been  a 
reguhir  institution  from  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury on.  Fairs  were  held  at  several  other  places,  and  in 
1702  Staunton  in  The  Valley  had  one.  During  it  Eliza- 
beth IIo<r  and  Priscilla  Christian  went  to  Crow's  store  and 
got  as  "  a  fairing  "  a  present  of  ribbon  from  the  clerk. ^^ 

While  the  constant  arrival  of  English  ships  which  came 
into  the  principal  rivers  and  delivered  their  consignments 
almost  at  the  planters'  doors,  encoui'aged  the  direct  impor- 
tation of  goods  from  London  merchants,  Virginia  women 
were  not  altogether  denied  the  delights  of  shopping,  for  in 
the  towns  and  in  the  country  there  were  surprisingly  well- 
stocktid  stores.  jMany  of  the  planters  had  on  their  estates 
general  merchandise  stores  managed  by  salaried  or  inden- 
tured storekeepers,  in  which  English  and  Virginia  goods 
could  be  bought,  and  tobacco  was  currency.     Says  Michel: 

"  ^Vhen  the  inhabitants  need  something  they  go  to  the 
nearest  INIerchant  who  gives  them  what  they  want.  It  is 
recorded  according  to  agreement.  When  the  tobacco  is 
ripe  the  ^lerchant  arrives  to  take  what  is  coming  to  him." 

Daniel  Sturgis,  a  storekeeper  who  had  been  a  servant, 
wrote  about  fifty  years  later: 

"  Stores  here  are  much  like  shops  in  London,  only  with 
this  difference,  the  shops  sell  but  one  kind  or  species  of 
wares,  and  stores  all  kinds.  These  commodities  we  sell 
planters  and  receive  in  return  tobacco,  a  weed  of  very 
little  service  to  mankind  as  to  its  use,  yet  as  it  is  the  j)romoter 
of  a  great  trade,  is  of  infinite  advantage  to  Great  Britain."*® 

'»  Chiilkh  y's  .\ui,nishi  Co.  Records,  i,  341. 

'"  Guide  to  .Miitiiial  for  Anirr.  Hist,  in  British  Pub.  Rec. 
Office,,  ii,  323. 

154 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


One  of  the  earliest  of  Virginia  merchants  was  Thomas 
Warnett,  of  Jamestown,  in  whose  will,  made  in  1629,  the 
stock  of  his  store  and  his  personal  belongings  are  so  im- 
partially mixed  that  the  reader  shall  be  permitted  to  exert 
his  ingenuity  in  deciding  which  is  which.  He  makes  be- 
quests of  "  butter,  salt,  candles,  pepper,  ginger,  meal,  ink, 
writing  paper,  silk  stockings,  white  starch,  blue  starch,  pins, 
knives,  a  green  scarf  edged  with  gold  lace,  his  best  sword 
with  gilt  belt,  his  second  best  sword,  his  felt  hat,  sheets, 
towels,  napkins,  tablecloths,  a  gilded  looking-glass,  a  black 
beaver  hat,  a  doublet  of  black  camlet,  a  pair  of  black  hose, 
vinegar,  thread  of  several  colors,  silk  and  thread  buttons,  a 
pe>\i:er  candlestick,  oil,  a  black  felt  hat,  a  suit  of  grey  kersie, 
a  weeding  hoe,  a  '  bowing '  hoe,  Irish  stockings,  bars  of 
lead,  gunpowder,  a  Polish  cap  furred,  a  pair  of  red 
slippers."  ^" 

In  the  records  of  Henrico  County  is  an  inventory  made 
in  1678,  of  the  stock  of  a  store  in  the  little  village  of  Ber- 
muda Hundred — then  almost  on  the  frontier — which  had 
been  owned  by  Henry  Isham  of  that  place  and  two  London 
merchants  named  Richards.  Among  the  goods  were 
women's  and  men's  shoes,  "  French  falls,"  children's  shoes, 
axes,  steel  spades,  a  bramble  saw,  shovels  and  tongs, 
hammers,  reaping  hooks,  "  scarlet  cloth,"  tapestry,  men's 
woolen  stockings,  brown  sheeting,  lawn,  "  pintadales,"  fine 
calico,  tufted  hollands,  blue  linen,  gloves,  women's  bodices, 
children's,  women's,  and  boys'  stockings,  whalebone, 
candlewick,  thread  of  various  colors,  girls'  and  women's 
hoods,  pins,  ribbon,  ivory  and  horn  combs,  children's  caps, 
buttons,  silk  galloon,  silk  floss,  "  tammy,"  "  East  India 
petticoats,"  canvas,   wax,   spoons,  chains,  brandy,  guns, 

1^  Water's  Gleanings,  39. 

155 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

gunlocks,  powder,  nutmegs,  pepper,  trays,  strainers,  l>el- 
lows,  salt,  trenchers,  niilk-pails,  and  steelyards.  Another 
store  which  is  believed  to  liave  been  in  Bernuida  Hundred 
and  belonged  to  Colonel  Francis  Eppes,  who  was  killed  by 
the  Indians  in  1679,  had  an  even  larger  and  more  varied 
stock,  including  some  books,  among  them  "  a  Bible  in 
quarto,  with  the  Apocrypha,"  "  two  play  books,"  "  The 
English  School-master,"  "  The  Orphan's  Legacy,"  "  The 
Academy  of  Compliments,"  and  "  The  Clerks  Tutor." 

Later  the  finest  stores  in  the  colony  were,  naturally, 
at  Williamsl)urg.  The  Gazette  of  1751  contains  some 
appealing  advertisements  of  their  wares.  In  that  year 
George  Gilmer,  Apothecary,  amiounced : 

"  Imported  in  the  Duchess  of  Queensbury  and  just 
come  to  Hand,  a  large  Assortment  of  Drugs  with  all  man- 
ner of  Chymical  and  Galenical  ^ledicines,  faithfully  pre- 
pared, also  a  quantity  of  Almonds  in  the  soft  shell,  fresh 
Currans,  Turkey  Coffee,  Prunes,  Tamerinds,  Bateman's 
and  Stouton's  Drops,  .  .  .  Cinnamon,  Cloves,  jMace,  Nut- 
meg, Black  Pepper  and  all-spice,  Annodyne  Necklaces, 
White  and  Brown  Sugar  Candy,  Sugar  Plumbs,  Carra- 
way  Comfits,  Candied  Eringo,  Citron,  xVllum,  Vermicelli, 
Sandiver,  Borax,  Ratsbane,  Crucibles,  Wine  Stone  Indigo, 
Chocolate,  Bohea,  Congo  and  Green  Tea,  Strong  and  good 
AVhitc  Tartar  Emetic,  with  ditto  dark  nice  cut  Sarfa, 
Black  Soaps,  China  Root,  Saltpetre,  Oriental  and  Occi- 
dental Bezoar  Sponge,  Gold  Leaf,  Musk,  Plenty  of  Vials 
and  Pots,  Coltsfoot,  Birdlime,  Spanish  Juice,  Juice  of 
Buckthorn,"  ct  cetera.  "  To  be  sold  at  reasonable  Rates 
by  the  Subscriber,  at  bis  Shoj)  nigh  the  Court  House,  the 
Corner  of  Palace  Street,  ^Villiamsburg." 

In  the  same  year  John  Mitchelson  advertised,  "  Great 
variety  of  Household  Furniture  of  the  newest  Fasliions, 

15G 


Copyright.  i<,.8.  by  1.  I- .  II.  Tost 

JOHN  TAYLOK  (il))  (»!•    -Mr.  AIKV 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


London  make,  viz.:  JNIahogany  Chests  of  drawers,  Ditto 
Dressing  tables,  Ditto  Card  ditto,  Ditto  Claw  ditto.  Ditto 
Chairs;  Ditto  Bedsteads,  some  with  silk  and  some  with 
Worked  damask  Furniture,  Window  Cm'tains,  &c.  &c. 
Ditto  tea  boards  &  tea  chests  and  a  dumb  waiter,  fine 
large  gilt,  carved  and  plain  Sconce  glasses,  a  Chimney  glass 
and  dressing  glass,  Turkey  Carpets,  a  Spinet,  Sundiy 
pictures  done  by  good  hands.  Likewise  linens.  Iron,  Brass, 
and  Pewter  wares  of  Sundry  sorts  for  Home  use." 

In  the  following  year  James  Craig,  jeweller,  imported 
a  new  assortment  of  "  silver  work,"  diamonds,  amethysts, 
and  "  diamond,  mourning  and  other  rings,"  to  be  sold  "  for 
ready  money  only." 

In  1769  William  Willess,  "  gunsmith  from  Birming- 
ham," announced  that  he  had  "  opened  shop  opposite  the 
playhouse  in  Williamsburg." 

Among  novelties  imported  by  capital  city  merchants 
for  this  year  were  "  shapes,  ornaments  and  mottoes  for 
desserts." 

The  dress  goods  and  millinery  advertised  show  that 
town  and  visiting  belles  had  close  at  hand  ample  provision 
for  making  themselves  ready  on  short  notice,  and  according 
to  the  latest  demands  of  fashion,  for  one  of  Mistress  Stagg's 
or  la  Baronne  de  Graffenreid's  "  Assemblies,"  or  a  "  birth- 
night  ball  "  at  the  Governor's  Palace.  \ 

Among  country  stores  which  patronized  the  advertising 
columns  of  the  Gazette  was  one  "  in  Sussex  County,  near 
Peter's  Bridge,"  which  in  1766  had  for  sale  "  broad  cloths 
with  full  trimmings  for  suits,  stuffs  for  gowns  and  mil- 
linery ware." 

Philip  Fithian,  before  leaving  "  Nomini  Hall,"  where 
he  had  been  not  only  well  cared  for  but  happy,  went  shop- 
ping at  a  nearby  store  to  buy  parting  gifts  for  the  Carter 
girls,  who  had  been  his  pupils.    He  selected  "  a  neat  gilt 

11  157 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 


paper  snuff-box  for  Miss  Priscilla,  a  neat  best  clear  hair- 
comb  apiece  for  Miss  Nancy  and  P'anny,  and  a  broad, 
elegant  sash  apiece  for  Miss  Betsy  and  Harriet."  For  the 
whole  collection  he  paid  fifteen  shillings. 

The  merchants  in  importing  stock  usually  ordered 
**  spring  goods  "  in  the  fall  and  "  winter  goods  "  in  spring. 

In  The  Valley  where  no  tobacco  was  grown  the  skins 
of  animals  became  currency.  Wolves  were  troublesome 
there  as  in  other  frontier  districts  of  the  colony,  and  the 
Government  offered  rewards  for  their  destruction.  In 
1734  Samuel  Woods  bought  eleven  and  a  quarter  yards  of 
"  Masquerade  "  and  seven  and  a  half  yards  of  "  Sagathee," 
a  heavy  woolen  stuff,  at  Samuel  Smith's  store,  in  Augusta 
County,  and  in  payment  gave  the  merchant  an  order  for 
the  bounty  on  two  wolves'  heads.  In  1738  Michael  Woods 
bought  a  dozen  Catechisms  at  the  same  store  for  six  foxes, 
seven  raccoons  and  one  beaver. 

Tlie  Augusta  Records  also  show  that  in  1770  one 
"  Captain  Saw\'ers  "  had  a  "  peddling  store  "  in  Bedford. 

The  peddler  with  his  pack  was  a  familiar  figure  in 
Colonial  A^'irginia,  througliout  the  period.  Perhaps  he  was 
in  the  business  for  himself,  perhaps  was  one  of  several  like 
him  sent  out  by  a  store  to  show  his  wares  from  house  to 
house,  and  sell  them  if  possible,  but  certainly  to  create  a 
ripple  of  the  kind  of  excitement  looking  at  new  goods  and 
perchance  securing  a  bargain  lirings  to  women  in  lonely 
neighborlioods.  The  peddler  himself  was  doubtless  a  wel- 
come visitor,  for  he  could  hardly  make  his  round  without 
picking  up  many  a  bit  of  gossip;  a  call  from  liim  was  as 
good  as  a  newspaper. 

Among  P'.nglish  fashions  which  the  Virginians,  very 
happily,  did  not  bring  with  them  was  that  of  duelling,  for 

158 


SOCIiVL  LIFE 


though  duels  were  frequent  after  the  Rev(3lution,  they 
were  so  rare  in  the  colony  that  only  two  of  them  are  known 
to  have  heen  actually  fought.  The  first  of  these  was  at 
"  Dancing  Point,"  in  Charles  City  County,  in  1619,  when 
a  sea-captain  named  Edward  Stallinge  was  killed  by  Cap- 
tain William  Eppes.  In  the  second,  in  1624,  George 
Harrison  died  from  a  cut  between  the  knee  and  garter 
from  the  sword  of  Captain  Kichard  Stephens. 

In  1653  Richard  Denham  was  the  bearer  of  a  challenge 
from  his  father-in-law.  Captain  Thomas  Hacket,  to  Mr. 
David  Fox,  a  magistrate  sitting  on  the  bench.  For  this 
disregard  of  the  law  and  of  propriety  Denham  was  given 
six  lashes  on  his  bare  back,  and  Hacket  held  without  bail 
and  his  case  sent  on  to  the  next  General  Court. 

There  were  other  challenges,  one  of  which  resulted  dis- 
astrously. In  1765  John  Scott,  the  eighteen-year-old  son 
of  the  rector  of  Quantico  Church,  who  had  himself  been 
set  apart  for  the  ministry,  had  a  quarrel  with  John  Baylis, 
an  older  man.  Baylis  spoke  so  insultingly  of  young  Scott 
and  his  father  that  the  youth  sent  him  a  challenge  by  his 
brother-in-law  and  chosen  second,  Cuthbert  Bullitt.  Mr. 
Bullitt  tried  to  dissuade  his  "  dear  Johnny,"  but  failing,  de- 
livered the  challenge  with  the  resolve  to  make  another 
attempt  to  patch  up  the  quarrel  at  the  meeting,  which  was 
to  be  before  sunrise,  behind  the  church.  This  he  did,  and 
so  angered  Baylis  that  he  opened  fire,  which  Bullitt  re- 
turned with  "  Jolmny's  "  pistol  and  instead  of  the  duel 
coming  off  as  arranged,  Bullitt  gave  Baylis  a  mortal 
wound.  He  was  acquitted  on  a  plea  of  self-defence,  and  he 
and  his  family  sorrowed  with  the  widow  and  children  of 
Baylis.  Young  Johnny  Scott  fled  over  the  sea,  where  he 
completed  his  education  at  King's  College,  old  Aberdeen, 
and  while  doing  so  lived  up  to  his  reputation  for  impetu- 

159 


COLONIAL  VIRGINM,  ITS   PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

ousness  by  marrying — secretly,  it  seems,  though  he  was 
forgiven — a  daughter  of  one  of  tlie  professors.  Later  he 
was  ordained  and  returned  to  America  as  chaplain  to  the 
Governor  of  Maryland  and  rector  of  the  Parish  of  Ever- 
sham,  in  that  province. 

While  the  colonists  were  much  given  to  litigation  and 
the  court  records  show  innumerable  and  long  continued 
suits,  the  law\'er  had  no  distinctive  place  apart  from  the 
mass  of  the  people.  He  was  simply  a  planter  who  prac- 
tised law.  The  justices  of  the  county  courts  and  judges 
of  the  general  courts  were  not  men  trained  to  the  legal  pro- 
fession, but  some  knowledge  of  law  was  part  of  the  educa- 
tion of  every  gentleman. 

With  the  doctors  it  was  different.  Their  work,  like  that 
of  the  clerg}',  set  them  apart;  it  was  not,  like  that  of  the 
lawyers,  in  court  and  legislature,  but  in  the  home  where 
it  placed  them  upon  the  most  familiar  and  confidential 
footing  and  made  them  a  part  of  the  daily  life  of  the  people. 

It  seems  strange  when,  according  to  modern  views,  the 
early  colonial  physicians  were  utterly  ignorant  of  the  true 
principles  of  medicine,  and  when  sanitation  and  genus 
were  alike  undreamed  of,  that  these  doctors  cured  any- 
body. They  imdoubtedly  did  make  cures,  though  their  suc- 
cessors of  to-day  may  be  of  the  opinion  that  their  patients 
recovered  in  spite  of  tlicm. 

In  1G22  Doctor  Kdward  Gibson  treated  successfully  a 
nmnber  of  patients  at  Falling  Creek — among  them 
Thomas  Fawcett,  who  was  "  farre  spent  with  the  dropsy." 
Wlien  Doctor  Pott  was  convicted  at  Jamestown  for  brand- 
ing other  men's  cattle  as  his  own,  one  reason  given  for  his 
j)ardon  was  that  tlie  Virginians  should  not  be  deprived  of 
liis  skill  in  treatment  of  the  "  epidemical  diseases  "  of  the 

160 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


country.  He  was  a  Master  of  Arts,  as  well  as  an  M.D., 
and  had  been  sent  to  Jamestown  by  the  Virginia  Company 
of  London,  on  account  of  his  ability. 

There  were  from  the  beginning  some  physicians  in  the 
colony  who  had  been  regularly  trained  in  their  profession 
as  it  was  known  in  that  day,  but  it  is  likely  that  most  of 
the  colonial  practitioners  had  studied  as  apprentices,  and 
no  doubt  the  colonies  were  good  fields  for  quacks.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  even  in  England  many  practising 
physicians  had  no  degree.  Late  in  the  period — for  twenty 
years  or  more  before  the  Revolution — many  young  Vir- 
ginians went  to  Edinburgh  to  study  medicine,  and  the 
character  of  the  profession  was  decidedly  raised. 

As  was  natural,  Virginia  physicians  made  many  ex- 
periments with  native  plants.  Early  in  the  eighteenth 
century  Doctor  John  Tennant,  of  Williamsburg,  acquired 
local  fame  by  his  advocacy  of  rattlesnake  root  as  a  specific 
for  many  diseases,  especially  pleurisy,  and  Doctor  John 
]Mitchell,  of  Urbanna,  Middlesex  County,  who  died  in 
London  in  1768,  was  not  only  a  distinguished  physician 
but  made  a  name  for  himself  by  his  valuable  researches 
and  discoveries  in  botany.  He  was  an  author  of  scientific 
books,  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society  and  gave  informa- 
tion about  American  flora  to  Linnaeus,  who  named  the 
Mitchella  repens  after  him.  In  1737  this  advertise- 
ment appeared  in  the  Virginia  Gazette: 

"  Every  Man  his  own  Doctor  Or  the  Poor  Planter's 
Physician.  Prescribing  plain  and  easy  Means  for  Persons 
to  cure  themselves  of  all  or  most  of  the  Distempers  incident 
to  this  climate,  and  with  very  little  charge,  the  medicines 
being  chiefly  the  Growth  and  Production  of  this  Country." 

Doctors  were  constantly  employed  to  treat  sei-vants 
and  slaves,  and  planters  were  not  permitted  to  neglect  bills 

161 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

for  such  service.  On  the  same  day — March  30,  1640 — 
the  Lower  Norfolk  County  Court  ordered  Robert  Came 
to  pay  the  bill  of  "  Thomas  Bullock,  Chirurgeon,"  and 
John  Drayton  that  of  Thomas  Sawj'cr,  for  "  physic  " 
adminstered  to  slaves. 

In  1764  Colonel  Theodorick  Bland  placed  an  epileptic 
slave  under  the  care  of  Doctor  James  Greenliill,  of  Stony 
Creek,  who  in  giving  up  his  patient  after  several  months, 
made  a  (juaint  report  of  his  treatment,  in  a  letter  to 
Colonel  Bland. 

"  According  to  your  request,"  runs  the  letter,  *'  I  have 
sent  the  negro  home  but  altho  he  is  much  amended  yet  I 
am  apprehensive  that  the  disease  is  not  quite  vanquished 
&  therefore  must  desire  that  he  be  permitted  to  continue 
the  course  of  medicines  he  is  now  luider  at  least  6  weeks 
or  two  months  longer.  .   .  . 

"  When  first  he  came  to  me  I  put  him  on  a  course  of 
Cumabarine  ^Medicines.  I  Bled  him,  in  the  fit,  vomited 
him  afterwards  and  .  .  .  gave  him  aorthrementics  and 
mercurial  purges.  All  this  seemed  to  do  no  good.  I  there- 
fore Resolved  to  give  him  a  shock  from  two  Glass  Spheres 
fixed  to  an  Klcctric  ^lachine,  but  before  I  could  get  it 
completely  fixed  1  drew  a  blister  on  the  scalp  behind — upon 
the  Occiput,  dressed  it  according  to  Art  and  made  it  per- 
petual, at  the  same  time  putting  him  under  a  different 
course  of  Medicines  than  had  been  tried  before.  The 
Blister  ran  liounti fully  for  a  while;  but  drying,  I  laid 
another  upon  the  nape  with  an  Intent  to  Stimulate  a 
Branch  of  a  Considerable  Nerve  Called  ])ar  Vagum  which 
in  that  part  Lays  Something  Superficial,  continuing  the 
Medicines  with  little  Alteration.  This  succeeded  and  the 
next  Change  of  the  ^loon  expecting  the  fit,  as  usual,  he 
missed  them.     The  ]Medicines  has  been  continued  and  he 


HAI.i.  A  I'    -Ml'.  /KIN,      UAKKK.N   C(»l  M  V 


\|  W  I  I  I     l\    \   I'ANKI.I.KI)   HKDKOOM 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


has  niissed  the  fits  this  last  full  moon  again.  The  Blister 
is  almost  dry  hut  I  intend  if  the  fellow  stays  with  me  to 
draw  a  fresh  one.  It  is  something  remarkable  that  the 
fits  has  Usually  returned  when  the  Moon  was  in  the  Sign 
Capricorn  Even  When  it  was  a  week  before  or  after  the 
full  or  change." 

There  is  little  doubt  that  had  the  poor  darkey  been 
given  his  choice  he  would  have  preferred  fits  at  the  change 
of  the  moon  to  bleedings,  vomitings,  electric  shocks,  and 
*'  perpetual  "  blisters. 

The  customary  doctor's  charge  in  Virginia  seems  to 
have  been  as  in  England,  a  guinea  a  visit — the  fee  re- 
ceived by  Doctor  Pasteur,  of  Williamsburg,  when  he 
treated  the  mashed  finger  of  Lady  Tryon,  the  wife  of  the 
Governor  of  North  Carolina,  during  her  visit  to  the 
Governor  and  his  lady  in  Virginia. 

The  tom^st,  Burnaby,  summing  up  his  impressions 
of  the  Virginia  people  in  1760,  declares: 

"  The  climate  and  external  appearance  of  the  country 
conspn^e~to  make  them  indolent,  lazy  and  good-natured; 
extremely  fond  of  Society  and  much  given  to  convivial 
pleasures.  In  consequence  of  this,  they  seldom  slio^^hy 
spjrit_of  enterprise  or  expose  themselves  willingly  to 
fatigue.  Their  authority  over  their  slaves  renders  them 
vain  and  imperious  and  entire  strangers  to  that  elegance 
of  sentiment  which  is  so  particularly  characteristic  of  re- 
fined and  polished  nations.  Their  ignorance  of  manhood 
and  of  learning  exposes  them  to  many  errors  and  preju- 
dices. The  public  or  polished  character  of  the  Virginians 
corresponds  with  their  private  one;  they  are  haughty  and 
jealous  of  their  liberties,  impatient  of  restraint  and  can 
scarcel)^  bear  the  thought  of  being  controlled  by  superior 

163 


COLONIAL  MRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

power.  Many  of  them  consider  the  Colonies  as  independent 
states,  not  connected  with  Great  Britain  otherwise  than  by- 
having  tlie  same  common  King."    He  adds  a  note: 

"  General  Characters  are  always  liable  to  exceptions. 
In  Virginia  I  have  had  the  pleasm-e  to  know  several  gentle- 
men endowed  with  many  virtues  and  accomplishments." 

"  The  women,"  he  continues,  "  are  upon  the  whole 
rather  handsome,  though  not  to  be  compared  with  our  fair 
country  women  of  England.  They  have  but  few  advan- 
tages and  consequently  are  seldom  accomplished;  this 
makes  them  reserved  and  unequal  to  any  interesting  or  re- 
fined conversation  .  .  .  They  seldom  read  or  endeavor  to 
improve  their  minds;  however  they  are  in  general,  good 
housewives  and  though  they  have  not,  I  think,  quite  as 
much  tenderness  and  sensibility  as  the  English  ladies,  yet 
they  make  as  good  wives  and  as  good  mothers  as  any  in  the 
world." 

Bm*naby  had  a  kindly  feeling  toward  the  Virginians, 
but  his  opinions  show  how  far  British  prejudice  could  go. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  he  came  from  an  England 
where  the  morals  of  Tom  Jones  and  the  manners  of  Tony 
Lumpkin  were  far  from  being  confined  to  fiction.  "  Sen- 
sibility," in  which  he  says  Virginia  women  were  lacking, 
was  a  fashionable  affectation  with  which  the  mistress  of 
a  plantation  was  too  busy  to  be  afflicted.  But  let  us  hear 
from  another  witness  from  the  same  part  of  tlie  world. 
Lord  Adam  Gordon,  writing  four  years  later,  says: 

"  The  first  settlers  were  many  of  them  younger 
Brotlicrs  of  good  Families  in  England,  who  for  different 
motives  chose  to  quit  home  in  search  of  better  fortune,  their 
descendants  who  possess  the  greatest  land  properties  in 
the  Province,  have  intermarried  and  have  always  had  a 
much  greater   connection   with   and   dependence   on   the 

164 


SOCIAL  LIFE 


Mother  Country  than  any  other  Province.  ...  I  have 
liad  an  opportunity  to  see  a  good  deal  of  the  Country  and 
many  of  the  first  people  in  the  Province  and  I  must  say 
they  far  excel  in  good  sense,  affability  and  ease  any  set  of 
men  I  have  yet  fallen  in  with,  either  in  the  West  Indies 
or  on  tlie  Continent,  this,  in  some  degree,  may  be  owing/ 
to  their  being  most  of  them  educated  at  home  (in  England) 
but  camiot  be  altogether  the  Cause,  since  there  are  amongst 
them  many  Gentlemen,  and  almost  all  the  Ladies,  who 
have  never  been  out  of  their  own  Province,  and  yet  are  as 
sensible,  Conversible  and  accomplished  people  as  one 
would  wish  to  meet  with." 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 


iHE  first  lover,  in  ver\'  tinath  "  sigh- 
ing like  a  furnace,"  of  whom  Vir- 
ginia records  give  us  a  picture,  is 
John  Rolfe,  gentleman,  the  earliest 
tobacco  planter  in  the  colony,  a 
member  of  his  JNIajesty's  Council 
and  soon  to  be  Secretary  of  State. 
A\^hen  the  Indian  maiden  Pocahontas,  who  had  been 
sold  to  Captain  Argall  for  a  copper  kettle  by  the  perfidious 
uncle  to  whose  care  Powliatan  had  entrusted  her,  was 
brought  to  Jamestown  and  held  there  as  a  hostage,  blaster 
Rolfe  astonished  himself  as  much  as  any  one  else  by  losing 
liis  heart  to  her.  No  sonnet  to  his  ladv's  eyebrow  could  erive 
relief  to  the  agitation  and  perplexity  into  which  so  unprece- 
dented a  situation  threw  him,  and  wliich  he  feared  would 
bring  upon  him  the  wrath  of  Heaven,  the  censure  of  the 
government,  and  the  criticism  of  his  fellows,  so  he  "vvrote 
instead  a  long  letter  to  the  Governor,  Sir  Thomas  Dale, 
explaining  his  2>light,  and  begging  approval  of  his  mar- 
riage with  her  whom,  he  declared,  "  ^ly  heart  and  best 
thoughts  are  and  have  b\Ti  a  long  tyme  soe  intangled  and 
entralled  in  soe  intricate  a  laborintli  that  I  was  even 
awearied  to  unwynde  myselfc  thereout." 

He  was  not,  he  wrote,  "  so  voyde  of  friends  nor  meane 
in  Birth  "  that  he  could  not  make  a  match  to  his  "  greate 
content  "  in  Kngland,  and  he  had  looked  "  warily  and  with 
circumspection  "  for  reasons  to  provoke  him  to  fall  in  love 
witli  one  whose  "  education  hath  byn  rude,  her  manners 
barl)arous,  her  generation  cursed  and  soe  discrej)ant  in  all 
nurtriture  "  to  himself,  and  "  oftentimes  with  feare  and 
trem])linge  "  had  concluded  that  his  sentiments  toward  her 

IGG 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 


were  "  wicked  instigations  hatched  by  him  whoe  seeketh 
and  dehghteth  in  man's  destruction." 

But  for  all  his  conscientious  scruples  against  marriage 
with  a  heathen  whose  ancestors  were  in  hell — for  he  was 
far  too  orthodox  to  believe  in  a  happy  hunting  ground  for 
unbelieving  braves — Master  Rolf e's  love  for  the  forest  maid 
tortured  him  by  day  and  disturbed  his  rest  at  night. 
Finally,  he  declared,  thoughts  of  her  had  taken  the  form  of 
a  "  more  gratious  temptacon  .  .  .  pullinge  me  by  the  eare 
and  cryene  why  doest  not  thowe  endeavour  to  make  her  a 
Christian."  Since  when  he  had  persuaded  himself  and 
hoped  to  persuade  Governor  Dale,  that  it  was  his  religious 
duty  to  wed  the  Indian  king's  daughter. 

They  were  married  about  April  5,  1614,  in  Jamestown 
Church,  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Governor  and  of  the 
bride's  father,  who  sent  to  witness  the  ceremony  two  of  her 
brothers  and  an  uncle  who  gave  her  away.  Doubtless 
it  was  the  charm  which  captivated  Rolfe  that  won  so  many 
friends  for  this  American  princess  when  she  visited 
England. 

There  was  much  wooing  and  wedding  at  Jamestown 
and  thereabout,  in  1619  and  the  two  years  following,  during 
which  the  Virginia  Company  sent  out  a  number  of  English 
maidens — about  a  hundred  and  fifty  in  all — to  provide 
wives  for  the  lonely  bachelors  of  whom  the  colony  was  in 
great  part  comprised.  These  courageous  girls  were  said 
to  be  "  such  as  were  specially  reconmiended  to  the  Com- 
pany for  their  good  bringing  up,"  and  were  to  be  given  in 
marriage  to  the  "  most  honest  and  industrious  planters," 
each  of  whom  was  to  pay  his  bride's  passage  money — a 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds  of  tobacco.  The  Governor 
and  Council  were  urged  to  be  "  as  fathers  "  to  the  maidens, 
who  were  not  to  be  forced  into  distasteful  marriages,  but 

167 


COLONIAL  VUIGLNU,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

were  to  be  placed  in  homes  of  people  of  repute  until  they 
found  husbands  to  their  liking. 

According  to  a  letter  from  Virginia  in  1622,  all  the 
maidens  had  then  been  mated. 

In  1G23  the  colony  had  its  first  breach  of  promise  case, 
which  doubtless  caused  no  end  of  hub-bub  in  high  society. 
Only  a  few  days  after  the  death  of  Captain  Samuel  Jordan, 
of  "  Jordan's  Point,"  on  James  River,  the  Reverend  Gre- 
ville  Pooley,  who  had  conducted  the  funeral  services,  went 
a-coiirting  the  yomig  and  wealthy  widow.  Cicely,  taking 
with  him  Captain  Isaac  Madison  as  witness  of  the  promise 
he  hoped  to  receive.  The  fair  Cicely  accepted  him,  and  he 
and  she  drank  each  other's  health,  after  which  he  kissed  her 
and  said: 

"  I  am  thine  and  thou  art  mine  till  death  us  separate." 

The  lady  desired  the  engagement  might  be  kept  quiet 
for  a  time  as  she  did  not  wish  it  known  she  had  bestowed 
her  love  so  soon  after  her  husband's  death.  iSIr.  Pooley 
promised  to  keep  the  secret,  but  was  so  elated  by  his  success 
that  he  could  not  help  letting  it  out.  Whereupon  ^ladam 
Cicely,  saying  that  he  "  had  fared  better  had  he  talked 
less,"  without  giving  him  any  notice  engaged  herself  to 
]Mr.  William  Farrar,  an  honored  member  of  his  Majesty's 
Council.  The  parson  sued  her  for  breach  of  promise,  and 
in  spite  of  the  damaging  testimony  of  Captain  ]Madison 
not  only  lost  his  case  but  made  and  had  duly  recorded  in 
court  a  formal  release  of  the  charmer,  binding  himself  in 
the  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds  sterling  "  never  to  have 
any  claim,  right  or  title  to  her." 

The  Governor  and  Council  were  moved  hy  this  unique 
suit  to  issue  a  solemn  proclamaticni  prohibiting  women  from 
engaging  themselves  to  more  tlian  one  man  at  a  time.  The 
proclamation  was  disregarded  at  least  once,  for  at  a  court 
held  tlie  following  year  it  was  ordered  that: 

168 


!'()(  AHONTAS 
From  a  photograph  of  the  original  portrait 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 


"  Tlie  next  Sabbath  day,  in  the  time  of  divine  Service, 
Eleanor  Spragg  shall  publicly,  before  the  congregation, 
acknowledge  her  offence  in  contracting  herself  to  two  sev- 
eral men  at  one  time  and  penitently  confessing  her  fault 
shall  ask  God's  and  the  Congregation's  forgiveness.  To 
prevent  the  like  offence  in  others  it  is  ordered  that  every 
minister  give  notice  in  his  church  that  what  man  or  woman 
soever  shall  use  words  amounting  to  a  contract  ( or  engage- 
ment) of  marriage  to  several  persons,  shall  be  whipped  or 
fined  according  to  the  quality  of  the  person  offending."  ^ 

In  later  years  when  Mr.  William  Roscow,  who  evi- 
dently recalled  these  famous  cases  but  doubted  the  power 
of  the  law  to  keep  a  Virginia  belle  faithful  to  any  one  of 
her  string  of  lovers,  secured  Sarah  Harrison's  promise  to 
marry  him,  he  made  her  put  it  in  writing  and  it  was  duly 
recorded,  "  Aprull  ye  28,  1687,"  as  follows: 

"  These  are  to  Certifye  all  persons  in  Ye  World  that 
I,  Sarah  Harrison,  Daughter  of  Mr.  Benja.  Harrison,  do 
&  am  fully  resolved  &  by  these  presents  do  oblige  myself 
(&  cordially  promise)  to  Wm.  Roscow  never  to  marry  or 
contract  Marriage  with  any  man  (during  his  life)  only 
himself.  To  confirm  these  presents,  I  the  abovesaid  Sarah 
Harrison  do  call  the  Almighty  God  to  witness  &  so  help 
me  God.    Amen. 

(Signed)     Sarah  Harrison.'''' 

Notwithstanding  which  the  fascinating  but  fickle  Sarah 
married  only  two  months  later  the  distinguished  Doctor 
James  Blair,  the  founder  of  William  and  Mary  College. 
When  in  the  course  of  the  marriage  ceremony  the  minister 
instructed  her  to  promise  to  obey  she  replied,  "  No  obey." 
Upon  which  he  refused  to  proceed  and  a  second  time  told 
her  to  say  obey.    A  second  time  she  said,  "  No  obeyf  and  a 

M'a.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  xix,  231,  234;  xxi,  14^-145. 

169 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

second  t  e  the  minister  refused  to  proceed.  Yet  the  third 
time  s\v  .<id,  "iVo  oheij,"  whereupon  the  minister  went  on 
with  th      eremony.- 

The  bridegroom  seems  to  have  passively  acquiesced. 
Doubtless  he  dared  not  say  a  word  lest  he  lose  his  lady, 
even  at  the  altar.  There  is  nothing  in  the  records  to 
suggest  that  he  ever  regretted  that  she  jilted  Mr.  Roscow 
to  marry  him,  and  all  witnesses  agree  that  no  matter  how 
capricious  Virginia  belles  of  the  day — who  were  often  mere 
children — may  have  been  with  their  lovers,  they  were  gen- 
erally above  reproach  as  wives  and  mothers. 

Among  the  interesting  sights  of  old  Jamestown  to-day 
are  the  tombs,  near  the  churcli,  of  Doctor  Blair  and  his 
wife,  the  high-spirited  Sarah.  A  sycamore  tree  has  grown 
uj)  between  their  graves  carrying  part  of  ^Irs.  Blair's 
tombstone — embedded  in  its  trunk — some  distance  in  the 
air,  as  if  marble  could  not  rest  easy  over  the  ashes  of  so 
independent  a  lady.  Let  any  who  may  believe  that  there 
were  no  strong-minded  women  in  the  good  old  days  remem- 
ber Sarah  Harrison  Blair. 

Perhaps  the  most  desperate  lover  of  the  time  was  no 
less  a  person  than  Sir  Francis  Nicholson,  (rovernor  of  the 
colony,  who  became  so  madly  enamored  of  Martha  Bm*- 
well,  daughter  of  Lewis  Burwell,  the  second,  of  "  Carter's 
Creek,"  that  he  vowed  to  her  that  if  she  refused  to  marr^' 
him  he  would  kill  her  father  and  her  brothers.  To  Doctor 
Blair  he  swore  that  if  she  married  anyone  but  himself  he 
would  cut  the  throats  of  three  men — the  bridegroom,  the 
minister  who  performed  the  ceremony,  and  the  justice  who 
issued  the  license.  The  affair  made  a  savory  dish  of  gossip 
and  rumors  of  it  s])read  to  Kngland.  and  brought  Ciovernor 
Nicholson  a  letter  of  remonstrance  from  a  friend  there. 

*  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  vii,  278. 

170 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 


The  young  lady  braved  all  his  threats  an  married 
Mr.  Henry  Arniistead,  of  "  Hesse,"  and  there  u  )  record 
of  murder  committed  as  a  result. 

^len  and  women  married  early  and  often  in  *'  Earth's 
only  paradise,  Virginia."  Unhealthy  conditions  and  ignor- 
ance of  hygiene  kept  the  dread  reaper  busy  separating 
husbands  and  wives,  but  the  lonely  survivor — however 
devoted  he  or  she  may  have  been — was  seldom  slow  to  find 
another  mate.  Cicely  Jordan  only  flirted  with  Parson 
Pooley,  but  on  the  very  day — jNIay  19,  1657 — when  the 
will  of  Thomas  Brice,  of  Rappahannock,  leaving  his  whole 
estate  to  his  wife,  was  proved,  a  marriage  contract  between 
her  and  the  Reverend  William  White,  who  officiated  at 
the  funeral,  was  recorded. 

The  7nost  married  woman  of  her  day  was  Elizabeth 

,  who  had  so  many  husbands  that  her  maiden  name 

has  been  lost.  She  was  the  wife  successively  of  Thomas 
Stevens,  Raleigh  Travers,  Robert  Beckingham,  Thomas 
Wilks,  and  George  Spencer — prominent  gentlemen,  all  of 
them — and  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  Widow  Spencer 
who  married  in  1697  William  Man,  and  by  taking  this,  her 
sixth,  husband  went  Colonel  John  Carter,  the  husband  of 
five  wives,  one  better.  Elizabeth  Travers,  the  daughter 
of  the  aforesaid  ISIadam  Stevens -Travers- Beckingham - 
Wilks-Spencer-Man  by  her  second  marriage,  was  second 
wife  of  John  Carter,  Jr.,  and  after  his  death  became  the 
third  wife  of  Colonel  Christopher  Wormeley.  Exampleslike 
this  make  it  plain  that  the  way  of  the  genealogist  who  under- 
takes to  untangle  Virginia  relationships  is  not  a  smooth  one. 

Colonel  Byrd,  writing  to  the  Earl  of  Orrery  in  1727, 
tells  him  that  matrimony  "  thrives  so  excellently  "  in  Vir- 
ginia that  "  an  Old  ]Maid  or  an  Old  Bachelor  are  as  scarce 
among  us  and  reckoned  as  ominous  as  a  Blazing  Star.'* 

171 


COLONLVL  VIRGINIA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

He  adds  that  one  of  the  most  "  antique  Virgins  "  he  knows 
is  his  daughter  Evelyn — who  was  then  about  twenty — 
and  says,  "  Either  our  young  Fellows  are  not  smart  eno' 
for  her,  or  she  seems  too  smart  for  them." 

This  is  the  earliest  on  record  of  the  many  attempts  to 
explain  why  the  lovely  Evelyn  Byrd  died  a  spinster. 

The  proposal  was  a  formal  and  elaborate  matter  in 
Colonial  Virginia.  The  lover  who  had  proper  regard  for 
the  conventions  and  for  a  comfortable  provision  for  him- 
self and  his  heart's  desire,  confided  his  hopes  to  his  father, 
who — if  he  approved — informed  the  father  of  the  fair  one 
that  his  son  would  ask  permission  to  besiege  her  affections, 
and  what  estate  he  would  settle  upon  him  if  he  should  be 
successful.  If  the  match  was  acceptable  to  the  lady's 
father,  he  replied  stating  what  property  he  would  settle 
upon  his  daughter.  When  the  matter  had  l>een  arranged 
to  the  satisfaction  of  both  parents,  the  anxious  lover  was 
free  to  try  his  fortune  with  the  maiden. 

Courting  a  widow  was  a  simpler  matter  for  she  dis- 
posed of  her  own  heart,  hand,  and  fortune  as  she  pleased, 
as  did  the  sister  of  William  Fitzhugh,  whose  second  hus- 
band, INIr.  Luke,  married  her  in  1G02  without  asking  any 
by-your-leave  of  her  family.  The  brother  expressed  him- 
self as  satisfied  because  where  a  widow  of  property  was 
to  be  courted  "  consultations  for  marriage  portions  "  were 
uiuisual. 

When  Jolin  Walker  of  "  Belvoir  "  set  his  affections 
upon  JNIistress  Elizabeth  ^loore,  the  following  correspond- 
ence passed  between  his  father  and  hers : 

May  27th,  1764. 
Dear  Sir: 

My  son,  Mr.  Jolin  Walker,  lmvin<T  infornuxl  nie  of  his  intention 
to  pay  his  ndclresses  to  your  dnufrliter  Elizabeth,  if  he  sliould  be 
agreeable  to  yourself,  lady  and  dauiijliter,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to 

I7i 


COURTSHIP  AND  IVIARRIAGE 


inform  you.  wliat  I  feel  myself  able  to  afford  for  tlieir  support,  in 
case  of  an  union.  My  affairs  are  in  an  uncertain  state,  but  I  will 
promise  one  thousand  pounds,  to  be  paid  in  1766,  and  the  further 
sum  of  two  thousand  pounds  I  promise  to  give  him ;  but  the  uncer- 
tainty of  my  present  affairs  prevents  my  fixing  on  a  time  of  pay- 
ment. The  above  sums  are  all  to  be  in  money  or  lands  and  other 
effects,  at  the  option  of  my  son,  Jolm  Walker. 
I  am.  Sir,  your  humble  servant, 

Thomas  Walkee. 
Col.  Bernard  Moore,  Esq., 
in  King  WiUiam. 

May  28,  1764. 
Dear  Sir: 

Your  son,  Mr.  John  Walker,  applied  to  me  for  leave  to  make 
liis  addresses  to  my  daughter,  Elizabeth.  I  gave  him  leave,  and 
told  him  at  the  same  time  that  my  affairs  were  in  such  a  state  that 
it  was  not  in  my  power  to  pay  him  all  the  money  this  year  that 
I  intended  to  give  my  daughter,  provided  he  succeeded ;  but  would 
give  him  five  hundred  pounds  more  as  soon  after  as  I  could  raise 
or  get  the  money,  which  sums  you  may  depend  I  will  most  punctu- 
ally pay  to  him. 

I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Bernard  Moore. 
To  Thomas  Walker, 

Castle  Hill,  Albemarle  County,  Va.' 

In  1765  Colonel  Warner  Lewis,  of  "  Warner  Hall," 
gave  young  William  Armistead,  heir  of  "  Hesse,"  who  was 
in  love  with  Molly  Carter,  of  "  Sabine  Hall,"  a  letter  to 
Colonel  Carter  in  which  he  said: 

"  This  will  be  delivered  to  you  by  my  nephew,  Will 
Armistead,  who  informs  me  that  you  are  acquainted  with 
his  errand,  which  I  hope  meets  with  your  approbation.  I 
heartily  wish  my  God  Daughter  Molly  may  like  liim,  if 
she  does  the  sooner  they  are  married  the  better."  The 
writer  says  it  will  give  him  "  great  pleasure  to  see  Miss 

3  Page's  "  Page  Family,"  224. 
12  173 


COLONIAL  VUiGINLA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Molly  Mistress  of  Ilcsse,  '  uiid  adds,  "  You  have  been 
young  yourself,  for  God's  sake  hurry  on  the  ]Match." 

Doubtless  the  happy  pair  thought  Colonel  Lewis  the 
most  delightful  uncle  in  the  world. 

Another  man  and  maid  for  whom  the  course  of  true  love 
ran  smooth  were  Nicholas  Cabell  and  Hannah  Carrington, 
from  whom  a  legion  of  Cabells  and  their  kin  trace  descent. 
In  1772  the  young  lover's  father,  Colonel  William  Cabell, 
received  this  letter  from  Hannah's  father: 

Dear  Sir:  I  rec'd  yours  by  your  son  Nicholas,  whose  intended 
marriage  alliance  to  my  family  is  agreeable  to  me.  I  have  referred 
him  to  my  daugiiter  and  he  can  inform  you  what  progress  he  has 
made.  He  is  a  young  man  that  I  have  a  good  opinion  of,  and  if 
they  get  together  I  am  in  hopes  you  will  find  her  a  dutiful  child 
and  a  satisfaction  to  you  for  the  remaining  part  of  your  time  here. 
I  am  with  respect 

Y'r  very  hum'l  servt. 

George  Carrington. 

Boys  and  girls,  young  men  and  maidens  were  then  as 
they  have  been  from  the  beginning,  are  now  and  ever 
shall  be.  The  ever  popular  dance  afforded  abundant  oppor- 
tunity for  soft  eyes  to  look  love  to  eyes  that  spoke  again, 
long  rides  and  drives,  and  walks  in  grove  and  garden  for 
whispered  vows;  and  who  dare  wager  there  was  never  a 
kiss  stolen  in  curtained  window-seat  or  rose-embowered 
summer-house?  When  the  lover  armed  with  parental  con- 
sent, presented  himself  to  his  lady  it  is  not  likely  that  his 
declaration  was  always  a  surprise. 

The  Virginia  belle  was  not  too  quick  to  bestow  her 
hand,  but  kept  her  suitor  on  his  knees  long  enough  to  make 
him  appreciate  her  condescension  in  considering  his  peti- 
tion. ^Vnnc  Blair,  daughter  of  President  John  Blair,  in 
one  of  her  gossipy  letters  to  her  sister,  Mrs.  Braxton,  thus 
describes  the  manner  in  which  such  a  Lady  Disdain  received 

174 


SAUAIl  II.VUKISON 
Wife  of  Doctor  .Iiimes  Blair 


COURTSHIP  AND  IVIARRIAGE 


a  letter  containing  a  proposal  from  a  certain  JMr.  Tunstall : 
"  She  was  in  a  little  Pett,  but  it  was  a  very  becoming 
one,  let  me  tell  you.  A  glowing  blush  suffused  o'er  her 
face  attended  with  a  trembling,  insomuch  that  in  extending 
her  arm  to  reach  me  the  creature's  insolence  I  thought  ye 
Paper  would  have  fallen  from  her  Hand.  The  emotions 
I  saw  her  in  did  not  fail  of  exciting  ye  curiosity  in  me 
natural  to  all  om*  Sex,  so  that  a  dog  would  not  have  caught 
more  eagerly  at  a  bone  he  was  likely  to  lose  than  I  did  at 
the  fulsome  stuff  (as  she  call'd  it)  tho'  must  own  on  pei-u- 
sal  was  charmed  with  ye  elegance  of  his  stile ;  &  I  dare  say 
he  might  with  truth  declare  his  Love  for  her  to  equal  that 
of  Mark  Anthony's  for  Cleopatra.  She  thought  proper  to 
turn  liis  Letter  back  again  with  just  a  line  or  two  signifying 
ye  disagreeableness  &c.  &c.  of  ye  subject.  .  .  .  There  are 
several  others  Dancing  and  coopeeing  about  her,  may  they 
scrape  all  the  skin  off  their  shins  stepping  over  the  benches 
at  Church  in  endeavoring  who  sho'd  be  first  to  hand  her 
in  the  Chariot."  ^ 

One  more  picture  of  the  ways  of  men  and  maids  from 
the  letters  of  Anne  Blair.  In  1768  she  and  her  sister 
Betsy  were  visiting  another  sister,  Mrs.  Cary,  in  Hamp- 
ton, and  the  officers  of  several  English  men-of-war  which 
happened  to  be  in  Hampton  Roads  were  giving  them  the 
time  of  their  lives.  The  sprightly  Anne  wrote  Mrs. 
Braxton: 

"  Hampton  is  now  more  gay  than  the  Metropolis.  The 
Rippon,  the  Lancaster  &  the  Magdalene  are  all  in  Harbour 
here;  balls  both  by  land  and  by  Water  in  abundance,  the 
gentlemen  of  the  Rippon  are  I  think  the  most  agreeably 
affable  set  I  have  ever  met  with,  &  really  it  is  charming 
to  go  on  Board ;  the  Drum  and  Fife,  pleasing  countenances, 

*  "  Blair,  Banister,  &  Braxton  Families,"  51. 

175 


V 


COLONIAL  VIRGLNIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

such  polite  yet  easy  Behaviour  all  bespeak  a  hearty  Wel- 
come. This  family  receives  a  great  many  civilities  from 
all  the  gentlemen,  presents  on  presents;  if  there  happens 
a  day  without  seeing  tliem  there  is  so  many  comp'ts  to 
enquire  after  our  Healths  that  indeed  to  be  people  of 
consequence  is  vastly  clever. 

"  '  How  stand  yr  hearts  Girls,'  I  hear  you  ask?  \Vliy, 
I  will  tell  you,  mine  seems  to  be  roving  amidst  dear  variety; 
&  notwithstanding  there  is  such  Variety  do  you  think 
Betsy  Blair  &  Sally  Sweeny  does  not  contend  for  one? 
Betsy  gave  her  Toast  at  Supj^er  ^Ir.  Sharp  (a  Lieutenant 
on  Board  ye  Kippon)  ]Miss  Sally  for  awhile  disputed  with 
her,  at  length  it  was  agreed  to  decide  it  with  pistols  when 
they  should  go  to  bed.  No  sooner  had  they  got  upstairs 
than  they  advanced  up  close  to  each  other,  then  turning 
short  round.  Back  to  Back,  marched  three  steps  forward 
&  fired;  so  great  was  the  explosion  &  so  suff'ocating  the 
smell  of  Powder,  that  I  quitted  the  Room,  till  by  Betsy's 
repeated  shouts  I  soon  learned  she  had  got  the  better  of 
her  antagonist.    Both  sunive." 

Notwithstanding  tlie  lively  Betsy's  mock  duel  over  the 
fascinating  Lieutenant  wSharp  she  finally  looked  over  his 
head  and  married  Captain  Sanmel  Thompson,  Commander 
of  the  Nippon. 

Idle  scribblings  in  old  books  have  preserved  glimpses 
of  very  real  young  folk.  On  the  fly-leaf  of  a  record  book 
for  the  years  1671-1070,  in  the  York  County  Clerk's 
office,  is  written,  "  Haimah  Armistead  is  One  of  ye  hand- 
somest Girls  in  Virgin'a,  by  Thomas  Frayser."  And 
under  it, 

"  Hannah  For  Fvor,  David  Cliamberlayne." 

On  the  fly-leaf  of  an  old  book  in  Gloucester  County 
appears, 

176 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 


"  Jane  Nelson  is  a  neat  girl ;  Betsy  Page  is  a  sweet 
girl;  Lucy  Burwell  is  the  devil,  if  not  the  devil,  she  is  one 
of  his  imps." 

Many  adoring  swains  declared  themselves  in  acrostics 
and  complimentary  verses  in  which  the  name  of  the  beloved 
was  sometimes  concealed,  which  were  published  in  the  Vir- 
ginia Gazette. 

This  tribute  to  Lucy  Cocke  is  a  fair  sample  of  the 
acrostic : 

L     oveley  dear  Maid,  my  gen'rous  tale  approve — 
U     ntaught  in  verse  to  sing  the  fair  I  love ; 
C     ould  you  but  know  the  dictates  of  my  heart, 
Y     our  gentle  soul  wou'd  healing  balm  impart. 
C     onquer'd  by  you,  what  raptures  seize  my  breast, 
O     say  dear  Charmer,  will  you  make  me  blest.'' 
C     onstant  I'll  prove  as  light  to  early  day 
K     ind  as  bright  Phoebus  to  his  darling  May, 
E     ach  hour  each  moment  shall  my  love  display. 

Other  acrostics  appearing  during  the  same  year — 1768 
— were  to  Catherine  Swann  and  Nancy  Murray,  while 
Alice  Corbin's  name  was  concealed  in  a  rhymed  puzzle. 

Here  is  the  first  stanza  of  a  poetical  effusion,  "  On 
Miss  Anne  Geddy  singing  and  playing  on  the  Spinet," 
contributed  by  an  anonymous  admirer: 

When  Nancy  on  the  spinnet  plays 
I  fondly  on  the  virgin  gaze 

And  wish  that  she  was  mine: 
Her  air,  her  voice,  her  lovely   face 
Unite  with  such  excessive  grace. 
The  Nymph  appears  divine. 
Still  another  bit  of  complimentary  verse — also  anony- 
mous— was  entitled, 

"  A  nosegay  addressed  to  ^liss  Polly  B. — in  King 
William." 

Letters  and  wills  show  us  both  AVashington  and  Jeffer- 

177 


COLONIAL  VmCIMA,  ITS   PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

son  as  ardent  lovers.  AVashington,  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
wrote  an  acrostic  on  the  name  of  Frances  Alexander  in 
which  he  declared  that 

Xerxes  wasn't  free  from  Cupid's  Dart, 
And  all  the  greatest  Heroes  felt  the  smart. 

He  liimself  felt  the  smart  often,  for  young  Frances 
was  the  first  of  a  succession  of  damsels  by  whose  "  sparkling 
eyes  "  he  was  "  undone."  At  sixteen  he  was  in  love  with 
a  "  Low  Land  Beauty  "  who  may  have  been  the  "  Sally  " 
to  whom  he  wrote  in  1748  from  "  Belvoir,"  when  he  was 
surveyor  for  Lord  Fairfax,  begging  for  a  letter  from  her 
and  saying: 

"  I  am  almost  discouraged  from  writing  to  you,  as  this 
is  my  fourth  since  I  received  any  from  yourself,"  But 
cheerfully  adding,  "  I  pass  the  time  nuich  more  agreeably 
than  I  imagined  I  should,  as  there  is  a  very  agreeable 
young  lady  lives  in  the  same  house  where  I  reside  (Colonel 
George  Fairfax's  wife's  sister)  that  in  a  great  measure 
cheats  my  sorrow  and  dejectedness,  though  not  so  as  to 
draw  my  thoughts  altogether  from  your  parts." 

About  the  same  time  he  MTote  to  a  friend  whom  he 
addressed  as  "Dear  Kobin": 

"  My  i)lacc  of  residence  at  present  is  at  his  Lordship's 
where  I  might,  were  my  heart  disengaged,  pass  my  time 
very  pleasantly  as  there  is  a  very  agreeable  young  lady  in 
the  same  house.  Col.  Geo.  Fairfax's  wife's  sister,  but  that 
only  adds  fuel  to  the  fire,  as  being  often  and  unavoidal)ly 
in  c<)m])any  with  her  revives  my  former  passion  for  your 
liOw  liand  Beauty.  \Vhereas  were  I  to  live  more  retired 
fioni  young  women  I  might  in  some  measure  alleviate  my 
sorrow  by  burying  that  chaste  and  troublesome  passion  in 
()l)livion.  and  I  am  very  well  assured  that  tliis  will  l>e  tlie 
only  antidote  or  remedy." 

178 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 


The  "  agreeable  young  lady  "  was  Mary  Gary,  with 
whom  tradition  says  he  was  soon  enough  deeply  in  love, 
but  like  his  Lowland  Beauty,  she  failed  to  see  the  future 
hero  in  the  susceptible  youth,  and  gave  her  hand  to  Edward 
Ambler.  According  to  one  tradition  the  "  Low  Land 
Beauty  "  was  Lucy  Grymes,  of  Richmond  County,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Colonel  Henry  Lee;  another  says  she 
was  Betsy  Fauntleroy,  by  whom  also  he  was  certainly 
rejected,  for  in  1751  he  wrote  to  her  father,  William 
Fauntleroy : 

"  I  purpose  to  wait  on  Miss  Betsy,  in  hopes  of  a  revo- 
cation of  the  former  cruel  sentence,  and  see  if  I  can  meet 
with  any  alteration  in  my  favor." 

In  1756  Robert  Carter  Nicholas  wrote  to  him  from 
Williamsburg : 

"  The  snufF-box  was  properly  returned  &  I  took  the 
Liberty  of  Communicating  the  Extatick  Paragraph  of 
your  letter ;  what  Blushes  &  confusion  it  occasioned  I  shall 
leave  you  to  guess." 

How  "  the  snufF-box  "  came  to  be  in  Washington's 
possession,  and  the  name  of  its  fair  owner,  are  not  revealed. 

In  1757  he  was  courting  Mary  Philipse  of  New  York, 
whom  he  met  during  a  visit  there.  In  July  of  that  year  his 
friend,  Joseph  Chew,  who  had  lately  been  in  New  York, 
wrote  him : 

"  As  to  the  Latter  part  of  your  Letter  what  shall  I  say? 
I  often  had  the  pleasure  of  Breakfasting  with  the  Charm- 
ing Polly.  Roger  Morris  was  there  (don't  be  startled) 
but  not  always,  you  know  him,  he  is  a  Lady's  man,  always 
something  to  say,  the  Town  talks  of  it  as  a  sure  &  settled 
affair.  I  can't  say  I  think  so  .  .  .  but  how  can  you  be 
Excused  to  continue  so  long  at  Phil'a?  I  think  I  would 
have  made  a  kind  of  Flying  March  of  it  if  it  had  only  been 

179 


COLONIAL  VIRGINL\,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

to  see  whether  the  Works  were  sufficient  to  withstand  a 
Vigorous  Attack,  you  a  Soldier  and  a  Lover." 

Again  AVasliington  was  disappointed,  for  the  "  charm- 
ing Polly  "  chose  his  rival. 

In  March,  17-58,  he  made  a  visit  to  Williamsburg, 
where  he  met  and  fell  in  love  with  the  young,  wealthy,  and 
recently  widowed  ^lartha  Custis.  He  was  engaged  to  her 
before  the  first  of  April  and  ordered  a  ring  for  her,  from 
Philadelphia,  in  May.  ^lilitary  duty  called  him  from 
her  side,  but  he  wrote  her  from  the  frontier,  on  the  march 
for  the  Ohio: 

"  A  courier  is  starting  for  Williamsburg  and  I  embrace 
the  opportunity  to  send  a  few  words  to  one  whose  life  is  now 
inseparable  from  mine.  Since  that  happy  hour  when  we 
made  our  pledges  to  each  other,  my  thoughts  have  been 
continually  going  to  you  as  another  self.  That  an  all- 
powerful  Providence  may  keep  us  both  in  safety  is  the 
prayer  of  your  ever  faithful  and  affectionate  friend." 

They  were  married  in  the  following  January. 

Jefferson,  too,  was  unluck}'  in  love,  and  finally  consoled 
himself  with  a  widow.  He  was,  however,  in  youth,  long 
constant  to  his  earliest  flame,  Rebecca  Burwell  of  "  Carter's 
Creek,"  whom  he  fancifully  called  "  Belinda."  In  1762, 
when  a  law-student  at  AVilliam  and  Mary,  he  carried  her 
picture  in  his  watch  like  any  college  boy  of  to-day,  and 
when  it  was  injured  by  a  wetting  wrote  of  it  to  his  chum 
and  confidant,  John  Page: 

"  Although  the  ])icture  be  defaced  there  is  so  lively  an 
image  of  her  imprinted  on  my  mind  that  I  shall  think  of  her 
too  often  I  fear  for  my  ])eacc  of  mind;  and  too  often  I 
am  sure  to  get  through  old  Coke  this  winter."  He  adds, 
**  Write  me  very  circumstantially  everything  tliat  happened 
at  the  wedding.     \\'as  she  there?     Because  if  she  was  I 

180 


COURTSHIP  AND  ]\L\RRIAGE 


ought  to  have  been  at  the  Devil  for  not  being  there  too." 
Further  on  in  the  letter  he  says: 

"  I  would  fain  ask  Miss  Becca  Burwell  to  give  me 
another  watch  paper  of  her  o^vn  cutting  which  I  should 
esteem  much  more  were  it  a  plain  round  one  than  the 
nicest  in  the  world  cut  by  other  hands." 

Jefferson  was  at  this  time  in  his  life  very  much  of  a 
ladies'  man,  fond  of  dancing  and  society  and  a  favorite 
with  the  girls,  though  he  was  devoted  to  but  one.  In  the 
letter  quoted  he  charges  Page: 

"  Remember  me  affectionately  to  all  the  young  ladies 
of  my  acquaintance,  particularly  the  Miss  Burwells  and 
j\Iiss  Potters  and  tell  them  that  though  the  heavy  earthly 
part  of  me,  my  body,  be  absent,  the  better  half  of  me,  my 
soul,  is  ever  with  them.  .  .  .  Tell — tell — in  short  tell  them 
all  10,000  things  more  than  either  you  or  I  can  now  or 
ever  shall  think  of  as  long  as  we  live."  He  sends  a  special 
message  to  Alice  Corbin,  whom  he  has  bet  a  pair  of  garters 
— for  himself — that  a  certain  "  pretty  gentleman  "  is  soon 
to  make  his  addresses  to  her. 

Jolm  Page  was  at  this  time  one  of  the  numerous  train 
of  the  fascinating  Anne  Randolph,  of  "  Wilton  "  on  the 
James,  known  to  her  circle  as  "  Nancy  Wilton."  In  Janu- 
ary, 1763,  the  future  author  of  the  "  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence "  wrote  to  the  future  Governor  of  Virginia: 

"  How  did  Nancy  look  at  you  when  you  danced  with 
her  at  Southall's?  Have  you  any  glimmering  of  hope? 
How  does  R,  B.  do?  Had  I  better  stay  here  and  do  nothing 
or  go  down  and  do  less?  ...  I  have  some  thoughts  of 
going  to  Petersburg  if  the  Actors  go  there  in  May.  If  I 
do,  I  do  not  know  but  I  may  keep  on  to  Williamsburg 
as  the  birthnight  will  be  near.  I  hear  that  Ben  Harrison 
has  been  at  Wilton,  let  me  know  his  success." 

181 


COLONIAL  MRGL\L\,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

In  the  following  July  the  lovesick  youth  wrote  Page: 

"If  Belinda  will  not  accept  my  service  it  shall  never 
be  offered  to  another.  That  she  may  I  pray  most  sin- 
cerely, but  that  she  will  she  never  gave  me  reason  to  hope." 

On  October  G  he  and  his  "  Belinda  "  were  together  at  a 
ball  in  the  *'  Apollo  room  "  at  Raleigh  tavern  and  he  de- 
cided to  make  a  final  trial  of  his  fortune.  On  the  day 
following  he  gave  vent  to  his  disappointment  in  a  letter 
to  John  Page,  in  which  he  says: 

"  In  the  most  melancholy  fit  that  ever  any  poor  soul 
was,  I  sit  down  to  write  to  you.  Last  night,  as  merry  as 
agreeable  company  and  dancing  with  Belinda  in  the  Apollo 
could  make  me,  I  never  could  have  thought  the  succeeding 
sun  would  have  seen  me  so  wretched  as  I  now  am!  I 
was  prepared  to  say  a  great  deal.  I  had  dressed  up  in  my 
own  mind,  such  thoughts  as  occurred  to  me  in  as  moving 
language  as  I  knew  how,  and  expected  to  have  performed 
in  a  tolerably  creditable  manner.  But,  gcxKl  God!  When 
I  had  an  opportunity  of  venting  them,  a  few  broken  sen- 
tences, uttered  in  great  disorder,  and  interrupted  with 
pauses  of  unconmion  length,  were  the  too  visible  marks 
of  my  strange  confusion!  " 

His  discouragement  was  so  complete  that  he  seems  to 
have  made  no  furtlier  effort  to  win  her,  though  a  letter  to 
another  chum,  William  Fleming,  early  in  the  following 
year,  shows  that  he  was  still  hoping. 

"  Dear  Will,"  he  writes,  "  I  have  thouglit  of  the  clever- 
est plan  of  life  that  can  be  imagined.  Vou  exchange  your 
land  for  Kdgehill,  or  I  mine  for  Fairfields,  you  marry 
S — y  P — r,  I  marry  R — a  B — 1,  join  and  get  a  pole  chair 
and  a  pair  of  keen  horses,  practice  the  law  in  the  same 
courts,  and  drive  about  to  all  the  dances  in  the  country 
together." 

182 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 


This  was  followed  speedily  by  another  letter  written 
"  March  20,  1764,  11  o'clock  at  night,"  when  he  was  suffer- 
ing with  a  violent  headache  and  his  candle  was  nearly 
burned  out,  in  which  he  says: 

"  With  regard  to  the  scheme  which  I  proposed  to  you 
some  time  since,  I  am  sorry  to  tell  you  it  is  totally  frus- 
trated by  Miss  R.  B.'s  marriage  with  Jacquelin  Ambler 
which  the  people  here  tell  me  they  daily  expect.  I  say,  the 
people  here  tell  me  so,  for  (can  you  believe  it?)  I  have 
been  so  abominably  indolent  as  not  to  have  seen  her  since 
last  October,  wherefore  I  cannot  affirm  that  I  know  it 
from  herself.  .  .  .  Well,  the  Lord  bless  her  I  say !  " 

The  fortune  hunter  was  not  unknown  in  Virgina.  In 
1773  Gustavus  Brown  Wallace  of  "  Elderslie,"  King 
George  County,  who  was  afterward  a  lieutenant-colonel 
in  the  Revolution,  wrote  to  his  brother : 

"Am  just  going  to  look  up  a  wife  among  the  High- 
lands of  Fauquier,  but  say  thou  not  a  word,  she  has  a  deal 
of  gowd  and  gear  and  is  a  bonnie  muckle  piece  worth  about 
.£3000,  which  would  make  Elderslie  smile,  but  her  faither 
and  mither  are  twa  crooked  people  to  deal  with." 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  relate  that  Mr.  Wallace  failed  to 
secure  his  Fauquier  County  heiress. 

The  banns  of  matrimony  were  published  three  times  in 
Virginia  as  in  England,  though  it  was  the  custom  for 
couples  of  means  and  station  to  obtain  a  special  license, 
when  the  banns  were  omitted.  The  minister's  fee  was  fixed 
by  law — two  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  or  twenty  shillings 
in  money  being  allowed  for  marriage  by  license,  but  only 
fifty  pounds  of  tobacco  or  five  shillings  where  the  banns 
were  proclaimed. 

The  wedding  was  attended  by  uproarious  rejoicing  and 
merrymaking.    Xot  only  did  all  Virginia  love  a  lover  but 

183 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND   CUSTOMS 

the  planting  of  a  new  roof-tree,  the  establishment  of  a 
new  fireside,  spelled  happiness  and  growth  to  the  thinly 
settled  colony.  In  the  earliest  days  salutes  were  fired  as 
part  of  wedding  celebrations,  but  though  it  was  soon  made 
unlawful  to  spend  powder  unnecessarily  on  account  of  the 
constant  fear  of  Indian  warfare,  there  was  never  any  em- 
bargo on  feasting,  dancing,  and  the  drinking  of  healths, 
and  these  were  often  kept  up  for  days,  with  the  happy  pair 
as  central  figures  in  the  festive  scene. 

Colonel  James  Gordon,  of  "  Merry  Point,"  tells  in  his 
journal  of  the  marriage  of  his  daughter  Xancy  to  Mr. 
Richard  Chichester,  in  1758.  The  wedding  was  according 
to  the  usual  custom  with  the  well-to-do,  at  liome,  at  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  All  of  the  guests,  except  the  par- 
son— seventeen  grown  people  and  some  children — spent  the 
day  and  niglit.  The  next  day  was  Simday,  and  the  whole 
company,  including  the  bride  and  groom,  went  to  church — 
Colonel  Gordon  liimsclf  and  some  of  the  gentlemen  in  his 
boat,  INIrs.  Gordon,  the  bridal  pair,  and  tlie  rest  "  in  chairs." 
"  All  except  Mr.  Tayloe  "  returned  to  "Merry  Point"  for 
dinner. 

The  Augusta  records  mention  a  wedding  reception 
given  to  George  Ilylton,  a  Fhivanna  County  carpenter, 
and  his  fifteen-year-old  bride,  Ikthenia,  in  1764. 

In  The  Valley,  where  the  ceremony  was  often  per- 
formed at  tlic  minister's  house,  the  quaint  Irish  custom  of 
running  for  the  bottle  was  in  vogue.  On  tlie  return  of  the 
bridal  party  the  young  men,  when  a  few  miles  from  the 
house,  would  spur  their  liorses  to  a  full  gallop  and  race  the 
rest  of  the  way.  The  winner  received  a  bottle  of  liquor  deco- 
rated witli  wliite  ribbon,  and  galloped  back  with  it  to  meet 
the  rest  of  tlie  ])arty.  (Opening  the  bottle,  he  presented 
it  first  to  tlie  bride  and  then  to  the  groom,  and  when  they 

184 


COURTSHIP  AND  IVLVllRIAC.i: 


liad  each  tasted  its  contents  it  was  passed  around  to  all 
the  company.^ 

Neither  parsons  nor  newspapers  spared  the  blushes  of 
the  newly  married.  Marriage  sermons  were  fashionable, 
though  they  must  have  been  embarrassing  to  those  in  whose 
honor  they  were  preached,  and  local  news  items  were  even 
more  personal  than  they  are  now.  The  Virginia  Gazette  of 
January  7,  1769,  announced: 

"  On  Sunday  last  Mr.  William  Nelson,  Jr.,  and  his 
newly  married  lady  made  their  appearance  in  Church  for 
the  first  time  when  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dunlap  delivered  an  ex- 
cellent sermon  on  the  marriage  state." 

Here  are  other  news  items  from  the  Gazette  of  the  same 
year: 

"  We  are  informed  that  Mr.  George  Savage,  lately  of 
the  Secretary's  office,  is  married  to  Miss  Kendall,  a  young 
lady  possessed  of  an  independent  fortune  of  at  least  6000 
pounds." 

"  Yesterday  was  married  in  Henrico  Mr.  Wm.  Carter, 
third  son  of  Mr.  John  Carter,  aged  23,  to  Mrs.  Sarah 
Ellyson  .  .  .  aged  85.  A  Sprightly  old  girl  with  three 
thousand  pounds  fortune." 

And  here  is  one  from  the  issue  of  November  19,  1736: 

"  Yesterday  was  Fortnight  Ralph  Wormeley,  of  Mid- 
dlesex County,  Esq.,  a  young  Gentleman  of  a  fine  Estate, 
was  married  to  the  celebrated  Miss  Sally  Berkeley,  a  young 
Lady  of  Great  Beauty  and  Fortune." 

In  the  following  year  the  Gazette  announced  the  mar- 
riages of  "  Miss  Betty  Tayloe,  a  young  lady  of  great 
beauty  and  fortune,"  and  "  Miss  Fanny  Grymes,  a  young 
lady  of  great  merit  and  fortune." 

5  Kercheval's  "  History  of  the  Valley  of  Va.,"  58. 

186 


VI 

DRESS 


^X  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cen- 
turies the  apparel  made  the  man,  and 
social  distinctions  were  marked  by  the 
quality  and  cut  of  clothing.  A  pas- 
sion for  dress  was  the  natural  result. 

The  American  habit  of  keeping 
up  with  European  fashions  began  at 
Jamestown.  In  England  each  new  reign  brought  changes 
in  costume  wliich  were  conveyed  by  the  first  ships  to  Vir- 
ginia where  they  were  looked  for  as  eagerly  as  "  at  home  " 
and  followed  as  faithfully  as  opportunity  would  allow. 
Merchants  on  both  sides  of  the  ocean  took  pains  to  adver- 
tise to  their  colonial  patrons  that  their  goods  were  "  fash- 
ionable in  London."  The  reign  of  James  I  was  marked 
by  unusually  few  changes,  and  as  the  dress  of  Elizabeth 
still  prevailed  when  the  colony  named  for  her  was  settled, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  the  first  comers  stepped  ashore  in 
the  huge  ruffs  associated  with  her  name,  or  the  broad  turn- 
over collars  known  as  "  falling  bands  "  whidi  were  con- 
temporary with  and  had  begun  to  supersede  them,  the. 
slouch  hats  with  brim  turned  rakishly  up  or  down — cow- 
boy fashion — at  the  fancy  of  the  wearer,  the  doublets  and 
hose  and  \o^v,  rosette-trimmed  shoes  of  her  time.  In  an 
illustration  in  Smith's  "  Historic  of  Virginia  "  represent- 
ing the  doughty  Captain  taking  the  King  of  Pamunkey 
prisoner,  his  hat  is  sharply  turned  up  in  front  and  adorned 
with  a  feather  hat-band.  Over  his  doublet  is  the  sleeveless 
jacket  of  leather  for  protection  against  sword  cuts,  known 
as  a  bud*  jerkin.  Baggy  liose  meet  smootli  fitting  stock- 
ings below  the  knee,  where  they  are  fastened  at  the  side 
^\■\[h  rosette-trimmed  garters.     Tie  wears  the  sliort  hair 

186 


UNiV 


WILLIAM  MOSKLKY 

About  1640 


DRESS 

and  beard  of  the  day ;  and  a  linen  falling  band,  a  pair  of  the 
fasliionable  hanging  sleeves  dangling  from  his  shoulders, 
leather  gloves,  rosetted  shoes,  and  a  sword  complete  his 
costume. 

Smith's  "  Historic  "  also  gives  us  the  equipment  the 
Virginia  Company  deemed  necessary  for  the  comfort  of 
tlie  colonist.  The  list  includes  a  Monmouth  cap,  three 
falling  bands,  three  shirts,  one  waistcoat,  one  suit  of  can- 
vas, one  of  frieze,  one  of  broadcloth,  three  pairs  of  stock- 
ings, four  pairs  of  shoes,  and  a  dozen  "  points."  A  Mon- 
mouth cap  was  a  head  covering  made  to  resist  the  weather 
and  worn  from  an  early  date  by  seafaring  men,  and  a 
point  was  a  lace  of  ribbon,  leather,  or  worsted,  with  a  tag 
at  one  end,  used  for  fastening  clothing  together  and  for 
ornament.  Doubtless  our  colonist  wore  his  suits  of  frieze 
— a  coarse  woollen  stuff — and  of  canvas  for  every-day 
work,  and  donned  his  broadcloth  with  gilt  or  silver  buttons 
on  Sundays. 

A  suit  of  light  armor,  a  sword,  and  a  gun  were  recom- 
mended for  protection  against  Indian  weapons,  and  the 
Census  of  1624-5  shows  that  there  were  then  in  use  in  the 
colony  three  hundred  and  forty-two  complete  suits  of  ar- 
mor, two  hundred  and  sixty  coats  of  mail  and  headpieces, 
and  twenty  quilted  coats  and  buff -coats.  As  late  as  1654* 
the  inventory  of  Cornelius  Lloyd,  of  Lower  Norfolk 
County,  names  "  one  suite  of  Armor  and  one  case  of  pistols, 
and  fragments  of  rusty  armor  have  been  dug  up  at  James- 
town within  recent  years. 

After  the  disappearance  of  armor  the  sword  continued 
to  be  part  of  the  regular  dress  of  the  colonial  gentleman 
and  it  appears  in  a  great  number  of  Virginia  wills  and  in- 
ventories. Among  many  planters  who  bequeathed  silver- 
hilted  swords — generally  with  belts — between  the  latter 

187 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,   ITS   PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

part  of  tlie  seventeenth  eentiiry  and  the  middle  of  the  eigli- 
teenth  were  \\'alter  AVhitaker,  John  Scott,  Corbin  Grif- 
fin, Henry  Applewhite,  Thomas  Cocke,  James  Vaux,  An- 
drew ]Monroe,  George  Glascock  and  William  Young.  In 
1733  Colonel  Francis  Kppes  bequeathed  a  "  silver-hilted 
sword  washed  with  gold,"  and  the  inventory  of  Governor 
Sjiotswood,  IT-iO,  names  "  one  silver-hilted  sword,  gilt." 
Robert  Beverley,  who  died  in  1734,  and  Jolm  Spotswood, 
/  in  17o8,  each  left  two  silver-hilted  swords. 

During  Lord  Delaware's  time  the  crimson  cloaks  of 
his  bodyguard  made  a  striking  variation  from  the  habitual 
close;^£ttilig_doublet.  In  his  lordship's  portrait  he  wears 
ffpTain  linen  falling  band  above  his  velvet,  while  that  of 
Captain  George  Percy,  of  his  oNIajesty's  Council,  and  that 
of  Pocahontas  painted  during  her  visit  to  England,  show 
collars  of  the  same  shape,  but  fashioned  of  rich  lace.  The 
Indian  princess  has  deep  cuffs  to  match  her  lace  band, 
and  carries  an  elegant  fan  of  ostrich  feathers,  like  any 
noble  English  lady  of  the  day.  She  wears  the  small  velvet 
cap  or  turban,  which  was  an  Elizabethan  fashion,  witli  a 
stylish  jewelled  hatband  around  it.  Steeple  hats  of  beaver 
with  either  a  wide  or  narrow  brim  were  more  used  by 
both  women  and  men,  and  were  sometimes  adorned  with  a 
feather  in  addition  to  tlie  jewelled,  pearl,  or  silver  hatband. 

Variations  of  the  doublet  and  hose  made  of  the  richest 
materials  that  could  be  bouglit  or  of  coarser  stuff,  accord- 
ing to  the  estate  of  the  wearer,  were  worn  by  Englishmen 
at  home  and  across  the  sea  imtil  the  coat,  waistcoat,  and 
knee  breeches,  tlie  first  of  which  aj)j)earcd  tt)ward  the  close 
of  the  reign  of  Charles  II,  succeeded  them.  The  doublet 
was  often  splendid  with  embroidery,  slashings,  gold  or  silver 
laces  or  buttons,  and  the  upper  part,  or  trunk,  of  the  hose, 
of  voluminous  proportions  and  lined  with  a  kind  of  crinoline 

188 


DRESS 

called  bombast,  or  stuffed  with  everything  the  wearer  could 
lay  his  hands  on,  until  it  became  as  great  a  monstrosity 
as  the  farthingale  worn  by  the  ladies.  In  1629  Thomas 
Warnett,  the  Jamestown  merchant,  bequeathed  a  doublet 
of  black  camlet — a  handsome  material  of  camel's-hair 
mixed  with  silk — a  pair  of  black  hose,  silk  stockings,  and 
a  black  beaver  hat.  He  also  left  a  green  scarf  edged  with 
gold  lace,  a  sword  with  a  gilt  belt,  and  a  pair  of  red  slippers, 
and  he  had  been  the  f  ortmiate  possessor  of  a  gilded  looking- 
glass  in  which  to  have  the  pleasui*e  of  beholding  himself 
thus  gloriously  arrayed. 

The  inventory  of  Major  Peter  Walker,  of  Northamp- 
ton County,  1655,  mentions  a  broadcloth  doublet  and  hose 
with  silver  lace.  Major  Walker  also  had  a  broadcloth 
short  coat  with  silver  lace,  and  a  broadcloth  coat  for  a 
horseman. 

A  passing  fashion  of  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of 
Charles  I  was  the  wearing  of  petticoat  breeches  in  which  a 
short  skirt  suggestive  of  a  Highlander's  kilt  covered  the 
upper  part  of  the  hose  in  place  of  the  padded  trunk.  As 
late  as  1768  the  Virginia  Gazette  advertised  a  runaway 
servant  who  wore  when  last  seen  "  petticoat  trousers." 
They  must  have  been  an  old  pair  rummaged  out  of  some 
attic  to  which  change  of  fashion  had  long  before  relegated 
them. 

Another  passing  fashion  of  this  reign — a  revival  from 
an  earlier  day — was  the  love-lock,  a  tress  permitted  to 
grow  long  and  hang  down  on  one  side  of  the  head.  It  was 
curled  and  tied  with  a  ribbon  which  was  generally  a  keep- 
sake from  some  fair  charmer,  and  was  considered  the  van- 
ity of  vanities.  In  England  tracts  were  written  and 
sermons  preached  against  it,  and  it  was  worn  to  some 
extent  by  gentlemen  of  fashion  in  Virginia  for,  in  1639, 

13  189 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS   PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

during  a  quarrel  between  the  Reverend  Anthony  Panton 
and  ]\Ir.  Richard  Kempe,  Secretary  of  State  of  the  Colony, 
who  had  been  much  at  Court  in  England,  the  parson  de- 
clared tliat  the  Secretary's  love-lock  was  tied  with  a  ribbon 
"  as  old  as  Paul's  " — meaning  the  venerable  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  London — which  may  only  have  proved  that 
the  gentleman  cherished  a  proper  sentiment  for  the  gift 
of  his  lady  by  wearing  it  even  after  it  had  long  lost  its 
pristine  freshness. 

*  The  dress  of  the  Cavalier  was  dashing  and  picturesque. 
His  doublet  was  of  silk,  satin,  or  velvet,  slashed  up  the 
front,  and  had  large  loose  sleeves.  With  it  he  wore  a  fall- 
ing band  of  \'andyke  lace.  His  hair  was  long,  and,  parted 
in  the  middle,  fell  in  loose  curls  on  his  shoulders,  his  beard 
peaked,  with  small  upward  turned  moustaches,  and  on 
the  side  of  his  head  was  a  broad-brimmed  hat  with  rich 
hatband  and  plume.  A  rapier  hung  from  his  sword-belt 
or  sash,  a  short  cloak  was  thrown  over  one  shoulder,  and 
sometimes  an  earring  hung  from  one  ear.  iSIajor  John 
Brodnax,  of  York  Count}',  Virginia,  who,  according  to 
tradition  was  a  royalist  who  had  seen  service  in  the  Civil 
Wars  in  England,  bc(iueathed  in  1657  his  "  Eare-Ring 
with  a  diamond  in  itt." 

In  striking  contrast  was  the  Puritan  with  his  close- 
cropped  head,  plain  cloth  doublet  and  hose,  narrow  linen 
falling  band,  and  steeple  hat  minus  gold  lace,  glittering 
hatband,  or  waving  plume. 

Near  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Charles  II  arose  the 
vogue  to  frizz,  curl,  and  powder  tlie  hair,  or  dispense  with 
it  altogether  and  wear  in  its  place  the  new  French  head- 
dress variously  known  as  the  wig,  periwig,  or  peruke. 
The  rage  for  this  freak  of  Dame  Fashion's  lasted  in  Eng- 
land over  a  hundred  years,  and  many  Virginian  portraits 

190 


DRESS 

bear  witness  to  his  popularity  in  the  colony.  In  1657 
Major  Brodnax  bequeathed  a  periwig  along  with  his 
diaiyignd  earring. 

Tin  1752  William  Gamble,  wig-maker,  of  Williamsburg, 
was  arrested  for  debt  and  advertised  in  the  Gazette  that 
lie  had  taken  into  partnership  Edward  Charlton,  "  late 
of  London,"  who  would  carry  on  his  business  in  his  shop 
*'  next  door  to  the  Raleigh  Tavern,"  while  he  was  in  the 
debtor's  prison.  In  1766  William  Godfrey,  peruke-maker, 
opened  shop  in  Williamsburg,  and  in  1768  a  Yorktown 
merchant  advertised  that  he  had  imported  a  "  quantity  of 
brown  human  hair  and  black  horse  hair  "  and  was  prepared 
to  supply  peruke-makers. 

V  The  craze  for  the  wig  began  to  decline  about  1750,  and 
give  way  to  the  braided  pigtail  and  queue  worn  in  a  bag. 
with  both  of  which  powder  was  used  and  the  hair  around 
the  face  frizzed  or  curled — especially  for  dress  occasions. 
Philip  Fithian,  writing  at  "  Nomini  Hall,"  1774,  says: 

"  I  was  waked  b}^  Sam,  the  barber,  thumping  at  my 
door.  I  was  dressed,  in  powder  too;  for  I  propose  to  see 
and  dine  with  Miss  Jenny  Washington  to-day." 

With  the  wig  and  powdered  hair  appeared  the  cocked 
hat  which  took  lis  firm  a  hold  on  the  affections  of  the 
devotees  of  fashion — for  it  was  worn  until  the  Revolution. 
In  TJie  Bamhler  for  1751  is  printed  a  letter  from  a  young 
gentleman  of  London  who  says  that  his  mother  "  would 
rather  follow  him  to  the  grave  than  see  him  sneak  about 
with  dirty  shoes  and  blotted  fingers,  hair  unpowdered  and 
a  hat  uncocked." 

With  the  coats  and  waistcoats,  the  wigs  and  cocked 
hats  of  the  "  Merry  INIonarch's  "  time  came  cravats  of  lace 
with  square  ends  hanging  from  a  knot  under  the  chin,  and 
shoe  buckles  began  to  replace  the  long  popular  rosettes. 

191 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

, '     During  tlie  reigns  of  James  II,  William  and  Mary, 

J  and  Anne,  tlie  periwig  flourished  like  the  proverbial  green 

'     bay  tree,  and  the  square-cut  coat  with  huge  cuff's  from 

which  hung  lace  rullles  became  general  and,  with  slight 

variations,  was  the  gentleman's  dress  throughout  the  re- 

\  mainder  of  the  colonial  period.    With  the  decline  of  the 

wig  the  elaborate  lace  cravat  gave  way  to  the  severe  stock. 

Woman's  dress  underwent  fewer  decided  changes.  The 
starched  ruff  or  more  becoming  falling  band  of  linen  or 
lace,  the  wide  or  nan-ow  brimmed  sugar-loaf  hat,  the 
close  fitting  and  more  or  less  ornate  stomacher,  the  billow- 
ing crinoline  held  sway  for  generations. 

With  the  reign  of  Charles  II  these  gave  way  to  less 
stiff,  foniiidable  attire — the  low-necked  bodice,  the  petti- 
coat, to  display  which  the  voluminous  gowTi  parted  in  the 
middle  and  often  flowed  out  in  a  train  behind;  uncovered 
curls.  Up  to  this  time  my  lady's  hair  had  generally  been 
partly  or  altogether  concealed  by  a  "coif,"  "  hood,"  or 
"cap";  and  caps  of  some  description  were  fashionable  for 
women,  young  and  old,  throughout  the  colonial  period. 
Virginia  portraits  show  them  in  great  variety. 

In  1629  Thomas  Warnett  bequeathed  a  "coif"  and 
a  "  cross-cloth  of  wrought  gold,"  which  had  doubtless  been 
imported  for  sale.  A  coif  was  a  close  cap  covering  the 
top,  sides  and  back  of  the  head,  and  a  cross-cloth  was  worn 
with  it  for  ornament.  In  1G4.*3  Ilo])ert  Morton,  of  Lower 
Norfolk,  bought  two  "  Holland  Quoifes." 
y^  With  the  reign  of  William  and  ^Fary  came  more  formal 
costume  for  women — including  the  towering  head-dress 
constructed  by  c()m])ing  tlie  hair  upward  over  a  cushion 
and  decorating  it  with  quantities  of  ribbon  and  lace.  In 
Queen  Anne's  time  there  was  a  return  to  the  simpler  and 
N.    more  natural  arrangement  of  tresses.     Gowns  were  now 

192 


JOHN  PAGK 

About  1060 


DRESS 

flounced  and  furbelowed,  and  the  hooped  petticoat — siKS: 
cessor  to  the  farthingale — appeared.  With  some  varia- 
tions, the  fashions  of  this  gracious  lady's  reign  remained 
through  the  period,  but  near  its  close  the  hair  rose  again 
in  mountains  of  puffs,  cm'ls,  and  powder,  ornamented  with 
tufts  of  feathers,  flowers,  or  ribbon  known  as  egiets,.-*^*^^' 

A  majority  of  the  colonial  portraits  of  Virginia  women 
show  costumes  and  head-dress  of  elegant  and  charming 
simplicity;  a  favorite  arrangement  of  the  hair  shows  it 
parted  and  pushed  softly  back  from  the  face,  with  a  loose 
curl  drawn  over  one  shoulder  somewhat  after  the  fashion 
of  the  love-lock,  and  sometimes  called  a  "  heart-breaker." 

Fithian  describes  the  dress  of  some  of  the  girls  he  saw 
at  Chi-istian's  dancing  class  at  "  Nomini,"  in  1774,  when 
the  ornate  top-knot  was  in  vogue.  Of  Jenny  Washington, 
aged  seventeen,  he  says: 

"  Her  dress  is  rich  and  well  chosen,  but  not  tawdry, 
nor  yet  too  plain.  She  appears  to-day  in  a  chintz  cotton 
gown  with  an  elegant  blue  stamp,  a  sky  blue  silk  quilt, 
spotted  apron,  and  her  light  brown  hair  craped  up  with 
two  rolls  at  each  side,  and  on  top  a  small  cap  of  beautiful 
gauze  and  rich  lace,  with  an  artificial  flower  interwoven." 

•  Aprons  were  frequently  used  for  ornamental  as  well 
as  practical  purposes  in  England  and  Virginia.  According 
to  the  inventory  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Taylor,  of  Lower  Norfolk, 
she  left,  in  1640,  a  "sea  green  apron,"  valued  at  one 
pound  four  shillings — equal  to  at  least  twenty-five  dollars 
to-day.  In  1769  a  Williamsburg  milliner  advertised 
flowered  gauze  aprons.  A  "  quilt "  was  a  quilted  petti- 
coat.    Fithian  continues: 

"  Miss  Hale  " — aged  about  fourteen — "  wears  a  white 
holland  gown,  cotton  diaper  quilt  very  fine,  a  lawn  apron 
and  has  her  hair  craped  up  and  on  it  a  small  tuft  of  ribbon 
for  a  cap." 

19S 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 


Betsy  Lee,  a  child  of  thirteen,  has  on  "  a  neat  shell 
calico  gown,"  and  her  light  hair  is  "  done  up  with  a 
feather." 

At  a  ball  this  obsen^ant  young  Presbyterian  divinity 
student    attended    as    an    interested    looker-on,    "  Miss 
Ritchie  "  was  apparelled  in  a  "  blue  silk  gown  and  her 
black  hair  done  up  neat  without  powder." 
-''    Kxtravagance  in  dress  was  frowned  upon  by  the  law- 
makgrs  in  the  early  days  of  the  colony.     The  Assembly 
^il61^passed  a  law  that  every  bachelor  should  be  assessed 
TttCfirmng  to  the  value  of  his  own  apparel,  and  every  mar- 
ried man  according  to  that  worn  to  church  by  himself 
and  his  family.    Notwithstanding  which  John  Pon,-,  who 
presided  over  that  famous  gathering,  said  in  a  letter  to 
England: 

"  Our  cowe-keeper  here  of  James  Citty,  on  Sundays, 
goes  accoutred  all  in  fresh  fflaming  silke,  and  a  wife  of 
one  that  had  in  England  professed  the  blacke  arte  not  of  a 
scholler  but  of  a  Collier,  weares  her  rough  bever  hatt 
with  a  faire  perle  hatband  and  silken  sute  there  to  corre- 
spondent." 

In  1621  the  authorities  in  England  directed  the  Gov- 
ernor, Sir  Francis  Wyatt,  "  not  to  permit  any  but  the 
Council  and  the  heads  of  hundreds  to  wear  gold  in  their 
cloaths  or  to  wear  silk  till  they  make  it  themselves."  This 
w.'us  both  to  discourage  display  and  to  create  interest  in 
the  silk  industry  which  the  Virginia  mulberrj'  tree  made 
an  early  and  long  cherished  dream  of  the  colony  and  the 
Company.  On  account  of  the  low  price  of  tobacco  a  law 
was  passed  in  KUJl  forl)id(ling,  under  penalty  of  confisca- 
tion, the  importation  of  silk  either  made  up  into  garments 
or  by  the  piece,  save  for  hoods  and  scarfs,  of  "  bone  lace 
of  silk  or  thread."  or  of  ribbons  "  wrought  with  gold  or 

104 


DRESS 

silver";  but  as  this  act  is  erased  in  the  original  record  of 
laws,  it  was  propably  vetoed  by  the  Governor.  It  is  some- 
tmies  difficult  to  determine  just  what  is  meant  by  "  lace," 
as  the  word  is  used  for  both  the  tapes  and  cords  extensively 
employed  in  fastening  clotliing  together  and  lace  with  an 
open-work  pattern  purely  for  decoration.  Laces  made 
with  thread  wound  on  bone  bobbins  were  called  "  bone 
lace  "  in  England  and  in  the  colonies. 

In  1639  Henry  Sewell,  of  Lower  Norfolk  County, 
impoi-ted  one-half  piece  of  silk  Mechlin  and  ten  yards  of 
silver  lace. 

Here  is  a  bill  for  lace  brought  in  1677  by  William 
Sherwood  who,  though  he  was  Attorney  General  of  the 
Colony,  was  not  one  of  the  wealthiest  planters. 

£  s.  d. 

To  1  Cravat  Lace  cost    5  0  0 

To  4  Yards  Lace  Cost  25  sh  f  yard 5  0  0 

To  1   Yard  of  fine  Lace  for  a  pinner 1  10  0 

To  3  Yards  of  Lace  for  Frills  and  falls  Cost  16  sh.lSd.  2  8  0 

To  6  Yards  of  fine  plain  ground  Lace  at  8s.  6d. ......    2  11  0 

To  3  Yards  of  Point  Lace  for  a  Handkerchief  at  6s.  6d.  0  19  0 

To  1  Yard  of  narrow  Lace  at 0  2  0 

To  2  Tiffany  Whisks 1  0  0 

£18    10      0 

It  should  be  remembered  that  money  at  this  period 
was  worth  three  or  four  times  as  much  as  it  is  to-day. 
*'  Frills  and  falls  "  were  sleeve  ruffles  and  collars,  and  a 
"  pinner  "  was  a  head-dress  with  lace  streamers  to  hang 
down  on  each  side  of  the  face,  while  a  "tiffany  whisk" 
was  a  neckerchief  of  a  gauzy  silk  fabric  known  as  tiffany. 

In  1724  Colonel  Thomas  Jones  ordered  from  London 
"  a  girls  blew  hatt  "  lined  with  silk  and  trimmed  with  a 
ribbon  band  and  "  a  rich  open  silver  lace,"  and  in  1728 

195 


COLONIAL  VIRGINU,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

when  Mrs.  Jones  was  in  England  Mrs.  Mary  Stith  wrote 
her  from  Virginia:  ^_ 

"  Wlien  you  come  to  London  pray  favour  me  in  your 
choice  of  a  suit  of  pinners  suitably  dressed  with  a  cross- 
knot  roll  or  whatever  the  fashion  requires,  with  suitable 
ruffles  and  handkerchief.  I  like  a  lace  of  some  breadth, 
and  of  a  beautiful  pattern,  that  may  be  plainly  seen, 
fine  enough  to  look  well,  but  not  a  superfine  costly  lace. 
And  likewise  beg  your  choice  of  a  very  genteel  fan." 

The  handkerchief  "  suitable  "  to  wear  with  the  fash- 
ionable pinners  was  evidently  a  neck  handkerchief. 

Ladies  going  abroad  were  often  asked  to  shop  for  their 
friends,  just  as  they  are  to-day.  In  1752  Lady  Gooch,  the 
wife  of  Governor  Sir  William  Gooch,  went  to  England, 
and  at  the  request  of  the  Reverend  Thomas  Dawson, 
rector  of  Bruton  Church,  Williamsburg,  bought  for  his 
wife,  ^Nladam  Priscilla  Bassett  Dawson,  a  fashionable 
laced  cap,  handkerchief,  ruffles,  and  tuckers,  a  fashionable 
brocade  suit,  a  pair  of  stays,  a  blue  satin  petticoat,  a  scarlet 
cloth  under-petticoat,  a  pair  of  blue  satin  shoes,  full 
trimmed,  a  hoop,  a  pair  of  blue  silk  stockings,  a  fashion- 
able silver  girdle,  a  fan.^ 

Washington  was  intimate  with  the  Dawsons  and  very 
likely  danced  the  minuet  at  an  assembly  or  a  "  birthnight  " 
with  this  parson's  wife  in  her  Ivondou  finery. 

In  spite  of  laws  and  regulations,  wills  and  inven- 
tories show  that  the  Virginia  planter  and  his  family  had 
all  the  rich  fabrics  that  were  fashionable  across  the  water, 
as  well  as  the  coarser  stuffs  manufactured  for  the  poor 
man's  raiment.  Among  silk  materials  fre<]uently  named 
are  sarcenet,  which  was  used  principally  for  lining,  but 
also  for  mantles  and  go\\Tis;  tabby,  which  was  watered; 

*  William  and  Mary  Collc^  Quarterly,  vi,  124. 

lOfi 


ELIZAHKTH  LAN  DON 
Second  wife  of  Robert  ("King")  ("arler 


DRESS 

damask,  which  was  flowered;  diicape,  which  was  corded; 
Persian,  which  was  flowered  or  "  sprigged  ";  taffeta,  heav- 
ier than  the  modern  fabric  of  that  name ;  Paduasoy,  a  rich, 
smooth  silk  originally  made  in  Padua;  lutestring,  a  plain 
silk  widely  used,  and  tiffany.^  Satin,  plush  and  velvet  were 
also  imported  as  were  several  rich  materials  in  which  silk 
and  wool  or  silk  and  flax  were  combined.  Broadcloth  was 
much  used,  and  other  handsome  woollen  fabrics  were  calli- 
manco,  prunella,  a  heavy  material  used  for  petticoats, 
mantles,  and  women's  shoes  and  drugget.  A  cheaper  stuff* 
was  paragon,  which  was  frequently  red  in  color  and  used 
for  bodices.  Cotton  and  linen  fabrics  were  India  calico  and 
cherridary,  chintz,  dimity,  holland,  blue  linen,  dowlas,  and 
lockram.  Durable  stuffs  for  men's  wear  were  serge, 
kersey,  sagathy,  fearnought,  frieze,  and  duffels.  For  hard- 
est wear  leather  breeches  were  often  worn.  Oznaburgs  and 
canvas  were  coarse  linen  materials  imported  in  large  quan- 
tities for  shirts,  jackets,  and  breeches  for  rough  wear,  and 
for  the  clothing  of  slaves.  Spinning_and  weaving  were 
done  on  every  plantation,  and  homespun  was  much  worn 
by  everj^body  in  the  earliest  days,~and  always~on  the  frontier 
and  among  the  poorer  classes.' 

The  planters  imported  all  sorts  of  goods  by  the  piece 
and  stored  them  away  in  chests  to  be  made  up  into  gar- 
ments as  needed.  In  1650  AVilliam  Presley  bequeathed 
to  his  son,  with  "  one  of  his  best  suits  of  clothes,"  a  cloth 
cloak,  and  "  a  piece  of  Lockram,"  and  in  1675  Robert 
Beckingham,  of  Lancaster  County,  left  his  father,  in  Eng- 
land, "  all  the  finest  broadcloth  bought  of  Mr.  John  Bosher 
except  as  much  as  shall  make  my  wife  one  suit." 

^  For  many  of  the  definitions  of  names  of  materials  and  articles 
of  dress  given  I  am  indebted  to  Alice  Morse  Earle's  "  Costume  of 
Colonial  Times." 

197 


COLONIAL  VIRGLXLV,  11^  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

^,.^;^  '  C^ay  colors  were  po2)ular  for  women  and  men — "  sky 
color,"  sea-green,  olive  and  scarlet  being  favorite  shades. 
Women  wore  mantles  of  crimson  taffeta  and  hooded  cloaks 
called  "  cardinals  "  made  of  scarlet  cloth.  Perhaps  this 
fashion  was  set  by  Little  Red  Ridinghood.  ]Mrs.  Sarah 
Willoiighby,  of  Lower  Norfolk,  might  have  made  a  rain- 
bow out  of  her  varied  wardrobe  in  1675.  She  had  petti- 
coats of  red,  blue,  and  black  silk,  one  of  Indian  silk,  one 
of  worsted  prunella,  one  of  striped  linen  and  one  of  calico, 
a  black  gown,  a  scarlet  waistcoat  with  a  silver  lace,  a  striped 
stuff  jacket,  a  worsted  prunella  mantle,  a  sky-colored  satin 
bodice,  a  pair  of  red  paragon  bodices,  three  fine  and  three 
coarse  holland  aprons,  and  two  hoods.^ 

The  petticoat  was,  of  course,  not  an  undergarment,  but 
a  skirt — often  of  the  richest  material  or  elaborately  deco- 
rated— with  which  was  worn  a  parted  or  looped-up  over- 
dress. In  1668  Mrs.  William  Brown  had,  in  a  chest  con- 
taining "  all  necessary  cloaths  &  Lynnen  for  a  gent 
woman,"  a  taffeta  petticoat,  a  tabby  petticoat,  a  baize 
petticoat,  and  a  scarlet  petticoat  with  gold  lace. 

In  17.38  Mrs.  George  Charlton,  mantuamaker,  of  Wil- 
liamsburg, through  the  advertising  colunms  of  the  Gazette, 
offered  "  her  services  to  the  ladies  "  whom  she  would 
"■  undertake  to  oblige  with  the  newest  and  genteelest  fash- 
ions now  wore  in  Kngland."  In  1766  a  Williamsburg 
tailor  advertised  that  he  could  make  ladies'  riding  habits. 
In  the  same  year  "  Katherine  Rathall,  a  milliner,  lately  ar- 
rived from  London,"  opened  shop  in  Fredericksburg  and 
advertised  in  the  G(a.ctte: 

"  Best  flowered  and  plain  satins,  flowered  and  plain 
modes,  sarcenets  and  Persians ;  flowered,  striped,  and  plain 

'  Bnice's  "  Economic  History  of  Va.  in  the  ITth  Century," 
ii,  194. 

198 


'* 


DRESS 


Eiiigiisli  gauze,  a  great  variety  of  blonde,  iniiiioiiet,  thread 
and  blaek  lace,  joining  blondes  for  ladies'  caps  and  hand- 
kerchiefs, wedding  and  other  fans,  a  great  variety  of 
ribands,  French  beads  and  earrings,  ladies'  caps,  fly  caps 
and  lappets,  egrets  of  all  sorts,  silk  and  leather  gloves  and 
mits,  summer  hats  and  cloaks,  cardinals,  French  tippets, 
black  gauze  and  catgut  love  ribands  for  mournings,  silk, 
thread  and  cotton  stockings  for  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
gentlemen's  laced  ruffles,  bags  for  wigs  and  solitaires,  Irish 
linens  and  tapes  in  variety,  garnet,  Bristol  stone  and  pearl 
sleeve  buttons  set  in  silver,  garnet  and  gold  brooches,  a 
variety  of  silver  shoe-buckles  in  the  newest  fasliion  for 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  with  knee-buckles  for  the  latter  .  .  . 
and  sundry  other  articles  too  tedious  to  mention." 

What  "  gauze  and  catgut  love  ribands  for  mourning  " 
were  I  have  failed  to  discover,  so  leave  them  to  the  gentle 
reader's  imagination.  A  "  solitaire  "  was  not  a  diamond 
ring,  but  a  broad  black  ribbon  worn  loosely  about  the  neck 
by  gentlemen  of  fashion. 

Other  Virginia  shops  offered  as  varied  and  interesting 
stocks.  One  in  Williamsburg  advertised,  in  1766,  with 
other  appealing  articles,  cardinals  and  cloaks  made  of 
flowered  satin  and  spotted  mode,  white  satin  and  calli- 
manco  pumps  for  ladies,  paste  shoe,  knee,  and  stock  buckles, 
a  very  neat  and  genteel  assortment  of  wedding,  mourning 
and  second  mourning  fans,  and  breast  flowers  "  equal  in 
beauty  to  any  ever  imported  and  so  near  resembles  natm*e 
that  the  nicest  eye  can  hardly  distinguish  the  difference." 

>  The  men  were  not  behind  the  women  in  their  love  of    ^ 
gay  apparel.     Gold  and  silver  laced  hats  and  broadcloth     ^J*, 
coats  with  gold  or  silver  buttons  appear  over  and  over  again 
in  wills  and  inventories  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries.  y' 

199 


COLONIAL  VIRGINU,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

Cloth,  silk,  and  triiiiinings  were  made  to  last  in  the  good 
old  days.  Persons  of  all  ranks  in  making  their  wills  dis- 
posed of  their  clothing,  and  in  the  inventories  articles  of 
dress  were  carefully  appraised.  A  husband  usually  gra- 
ciously bequeathed  his  wife  "  her  own  "  clothes  and  jewels, 
and  distributed  his  masculine  belongings  among  male  rela- 
tives and  friends.  In  IGT-i  John  Lee's  will  named  a 
gray  suit  trimmed  with  silver  buttons  and  a  pair  of  gloves 
with  silk  tops.  In  1674  James  Sampson  bequeathed  to  a 
fair  legatee  a  sky-colored  watered  tabby  gown  and  a  round 
black  scarf  tnnmied  with  Flanders  lace,  with  a  blue  and 
a  red  silk  sash  to  two  of  his  heirs  male.  In  1G86  ^latthew 
Bentley,  a  prosperous  shoemaker  of  ^Middlesex  County, 
bequeathed  to  John  Willis  his  "  broadcloth  coat  with  gold 
buttons  on  it,"  and  in  171G  William  Fox  of  Lancaster 
County  left  to  AVilliam  and  James  Ball,  relatives  of  the 
mother  of  Washington,  his  broadcloth  suit  trinmied  with 
gold  lace,  his  new  silk  suit,  his  new  beaver  hat  and  silk 
stockings. 

Upon  the  death  of  Doctor  Alexander  ^lattheson,  in 
1756,  one  of  his  friends  was  the  happy  heir  to  a  flowered 
plush  jacket. 

In  1761  Washington,  in  ordering  clothes  from  London, 
wrote  the  merchant, 

"  I  want  neither  lace  nor  embroidery.  Plain  clothes 
with  gold  or  silver  buttons  if  worn  in  genteel  dress  are  all 
that  I  desire."  For  Madam  Washington  he  ordered  a 
salmon  colored  tabby  velvet  with  a  pattern  of  satin  flowers, 
to  be  made  into  a  sack  and  coat;  a  cap,  handkerchief, 
tucker  and  rufHes,  to  be  made  of  Brussels  or  point  lace,  and 
to  cost  twenty  pounds ;  two  fine  flowered  lawn  aprons,  two 
double  handkerchiefs,  two  pairs  of  white  silk,  six  pairs  of 
fine  cotton  and  four  ])airs  of  tlirend  hose,  one  pair  of  black 

200 


JOHN  PARKK  AM)  MARTHA  PARKK  CI  SITS 
Washington's  stepchildren 


DRESS 

and  one  pair  of  white  satin  shoes,  "  of  the  smallest  fives," 
four  pairs  of  callimanco  shoes,  one  fashionable  hat  or  bon- 
net, six  pairs  of  best  kid  gloves,  six  pairs  of  mitts,  one 
dozen  knots  and  breast-knots,  one  dozen  round  silk  stay- 
laces,  one  black  mask,  one  dozen  "  most  fashionable  "  cam- 
bric pocket  handkerchiefs,  pins  and  hairpins,  six  pounds 
of  perfumed  powder,  a  "  puckered  petticoat  of  fashionable 
color,"  a  silver  tabby  velvet  petticoat,  two  handsome  breast 
flowers,  and  some  sugar  candy. 

In  1765  yomig  Edward  Hawtry,  who  was  contemplat- 
ing applying  for  the  place  of  master  of  the  grammar  school 
of  William  and  INIary,  was  informed  by  a  former  pro- 
fessor of  the  college  that  he  would  need  in  Williamsburg 
"  one  suit  of  handsome  full  dress  silk  clothes  to  wear  on 
the  King's  birthday,  at  the  Governor's." 

In  1769  Lord  Botetourt  smnmoned  the  House  of  Bur- 
gesses to  meet  him  in  the  Council  Chamber  to  discuss 
weighty  affairs  of  state  and  received  them  in  "  a  suit 
of  plain  scarlet " — plain  evidently  meaning  without  gold 
or  silver  lace.  In  this  year  Mrs.  Katherine  Rathall  adver- 
tised "  black,  blue  and  buff  silk  for  gentlemen's  breeches," 
and  "  macaroni  waistcoats." 

The  colonists  were  plentifully  supplied  with  shoe& 
gloves,  and  hats,  of  as  striking  appearance  as  the  rest  01 , 
their  clothing.  ]Many  wills  and  inventories  of  the  seVm- 
teenth  century  mention  beaver  hats  with  silver  hatbands, 
and  in  the  eighteenth  the  beavor  or  castor — another  name 
for  beaver — remained  in  fashion  and  was  to  be  had  at  Vir- 
ginia stores.  In  1737  Williamsburg  could  boast  of  a  hat- 
maker  who  could  supply  "  Men's  Beavers  of  any  Fashion 
or  Size,  Woman's  Beavers,  White,  Black,  Shagged  or 
otherwise,  and  Castors  of  the  best  and  neatest  Sort."  For 
lighter  wear  there  were  palmetto  and  "  Carolina  "  hats 

201 


COLONIAL  VIRCiL\L\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

and — for  women — "  cane  and  silk  hats  and  French  flowers 
^  for  trimming  them."  Women  also  wore,  in  both  centuries, 
handsome  silk  lioods,  and,  in  the  eighteenth,  calash  bonnets. 
In  1769  ]Mrs.  Rathall  imported  for  their  use  "  blue,  green 
and  white  riding  hats." 

Shoes  were  imported  and  made  at  home  in  large  quan- 
tities. In  1053  the  demand  for  shoes  was  so  great  that 
ships  bound  for  Virginia  were  permitted  to  carr}'  a  hundred 
and  fifty  dozen  shoes  and  their  full  number  of  passengers. 
Besides  their  be-ribboned  and  buckled  shoes  men  wore 
jack-boots  for  rough  service,  and  especially  for  riding. 
Women's  and  children's  shoes  were  made  of  prunella, 
callimanco,  damask,  silk,  and  velvet,  as  well  as  of  morocco, 
Spanish  and  other  leathers.  In  1737  William  Beverley 
ordered  from  London,  for  his  wife,  six  pairs  of  flowered 
damask  shoes  and  for  each  of  his  young  daughters,  Eliza- 
beth and  I'^rsula,  six  pairs  of  callimanco  and  one  pair  of 
silk  shoes.  At  the  same  time  he  ordered  "  three  line  thin 
calf  skins  and  two  skins  of  white  leather  "  to  be  made  up 
at  home  into  shoes  for  his  children. 

Men's  gloves  were  most  frequently  made  of  buckskin 
and  gloves  and  mitts  for  women  and  children  of  kid,  lamb- 
skin, silk,  and  thread.  Stockings  were  of  silk,  wool,  cot- 
ton, and  thread,  and  of  every  color  of  the  rainbow.  Green 
stockings  are  very  often  mentioned  in  wills  and  inventories. 

Women  wore  masks  to  preserve  their  complexions  in 
Virginia,  as  in  Kngland,  and  black  patches  for  the 
])iquancy  of  expression  they  were  supposed  to  bestow,  and 
botli  masks  and  bhick  court  plaster  were  sold  in  colonial 
shops. 

Even  in  The  A'allcy  finery  was  not  unknown.  In  174'7 
Bobert  Bratton  and  James  Kirk  testified  at  Augusta 
County  Court  that  they  had  boon  robbed  of  an  "  orange 

202 


DRESS 

colored  sitting  gown,  a  pale  China  gown,  a  striped  blue 
and  white  cotton  gown,  a  petticoat,  a  light  colored  broad- 
cloth coat,  two  beaver  hats,  a  black  velvet  cap,  a  blue  jacket 
of  home-made  cloth,  a  hat  of  Bermuda  plat  with  red 
ribbon  band." 

In  1761  Robert  McClanahan  testified  that  he  had  lost 
a  sword  mounted  with  silver  and  a  sword-knot  and  belt, 
the  whole  valued  at  eight  pounds,  and  Alexander  McClan- 
ahan that  he  had  lost  a  silver-hilted  sword  which  was  also 
worth  eight  pounds. 

Advertisements  of  runaway  servants  and  slaves  fur- 
nish many  points  on  the  dress  of  the  day.  They  were 
occasionally  clad  in  fearnought  or  oznaburgs,  but  were 
of  tener  wondrously  arrayed.  Whether  their  garments  were 
stolen  from,  or  discarded  by,  their  masters,  or  were  their 
own  holiday  clothes  it  is  impossible  to  say.  In  1766  the 
Virginia  Gazette  advertised  a  woman  runaway  who  when 
last  seen  had  on  "  a  striped  red  and  wliite  callimanco  gown, 
a  short  white  linen  sack  and  petticoat,  a  pair  of  stays  with 
a  fringed  blue  riband,  a  large  pair  of  silver  buckles  and  a 
.pair  of  silver  bobs  " — an  old  name  for  earrings.  In  1768 
15n^runaway  convict  servant  wore  "  a  blue  coat  with  metal 
buttons,  a  scarlet  jacket,  and  red  plush  breeches,"  and 
another  a  light  colored  wig,  fine  hat  with  black  riband 
and  metal  buckle  around  the  crown,  a  blue  surtout  or  Xew- 
market  coat,  a  claret  colored  coat  and  jacket,  buckskin 
breeches  and  very  bad  shoes,"  while  still  another  is  de- 
scribed as  "  extremely  fond  of  dress,  but  his  holiday  clothes 
were  taken  from  him  when  he  first  attempted  to  get  off." 

In  1775  a  negro  ran  away  in  a  "  light  colored  Wilton 
coat,  a  beaver  cloth  great  coat  and  red  plush  breeches." 

-  There  were  no  special  fashions  for  children  past  their 
babyhood.    They  dressed  as  their  parents  did  and  looked 

203 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

like  diminutive,  quaint  grown  folk.  In  1736  when  Robert 
Carter  of  "  Xoniini  "  was  ten  years  old  there  were  ordered 
for  him  from  London  a  suit  of  fine  brown  holland,  a  laced 
hat,  white  gloves,  and  red  worsted  stockings,  and  for  his 
little  sister  Betty  a  gown  of  fine  sprigged  calico,  Spanish 
leather  shoes,  and  a  mask.  When  ^Nliss  Betty  was  fourteen 
her  guardian  bought  for  her  a  cap,  ruffles  and  tucker,  a 
pair  of  white  stays,  eight  pairs  of  w^hite  and  two  pairs  of 
colored  gloves,  two  pairs  of  worsted  and  three  pairs  of 
thread  hose,  one  pair  of  morocco,  four  pairs  of  Spanish 
leather,  and  two  pairs  of  calf  shoes,  a  mask,  a  fan,  a  neck- 
lace, a  girdle  and  buckle,  a  piece  of  "  fashionable  calico," 
four  yards  of  ribbon  "  for  knots,"  a  "  hoop-coat,"  a  hat,  a 
"  mantua,"  and  coat  of  "  slite  lute  string." 

Soon  after  Washington's  marriage  to  Martha  Custis  he 
ordered  from  I^ondon  for  his  little  stepson  "  Master  Custis, 
eight  years  old,"  "  a  handsome  suit  "  of  winter  clothes,  a 
suit  of  summer  clothes,  two  pieces  of  nankeen  with  trim- 
mings, a  silver  laced  hat,  six  pairs  of  fine  cotton  and  one 
pair  of  worsted  stockings,  four  pairs  of  strong  slioes,  one 
pair  of  neat  pumps,  one  pair  of  gloves,  two  hair-bags  and 
one  piece  (a  bolt)  of  hair  ribbon,  a  pair  of  shoe  and  knee 
buckles,  a  pair  of  sleeve  buttons.  Also  "  a  small  Bible 
neatly  bound  in  Turkey  and  John  Parke  Custis  wrote  in 
gilt  letters  on  the  inside  of  the  cover;  a  neat  small  Prayer 
Book  bound  as  above,  with  John  Parke  Custis  as  above." 

Little  "  ^Master  Custis  "  had  been  given  a  negro  boy 
to  wait  upon  him,  and  for  him  were  ordered  three  pairs  of 
shoes,  tliree  pairs  of  coarse  stockings,  a  suit  of  livery  clothes 
and  a  hat  for  a  boy  fourteen  years  old.  Colonel  Washing- 
ton took  pains  to  direct  that  the  livery  for  his  stepson's 
servant  should  be  "  suited  to  the  Arms  of  the  Custis 
family." 

804 


MARTHA  CLSTISS  WATCH 


KVKLYN   HVKDS  KAN 


DRESS 

For  little  "  Miss  Custis,  six  years  old,"  he  ordered  a 
coat  made  of  fashionable  silk,  a  fasliionable  cap  or  filet,  a 
bib-apron,  lace  trimmed  ruffles  and  tucker,  four  fashionable 
dresses  of  lawn,  two  fine  cambric  frocks,  a  satin  capuchin, 
hat  and  neckatees,  a  Persian  quilted  coat,  a  pair  of  pack- 
thread stays,  four  pairs  of  callimanco  and  six  pairs  of 
leather  shoes,  two  pairs  of  satin  shoes  with  flat  ties,  six 
pairs  of  fine  cotton  and  four  pairs  of  white  worsted  stock- 
ings, twelve  pairs  of  mitts  and  six  pairs  of  white  kid 
gloves,  one  pair  of  silver  shoe-buckles,  one  pair  of  neat 
sleeve  buttons,  six  handsome  egrets,  different  sorts,  six 
yards  of  ribbon  for  egrets  "  a  small  Bible  bound  in  Tur- 
key and  Martha  Parke  Custis  wrote  on  the  inside  in  gilt 
letters,  a  small  Prayer  Book,  neat  and  in  the  same  manner, 
and  a  very  good  spinet." 

With  all  of  this  paraphernalia,  including  a  pair  of 
stays,  a  variety  of  handsome  egrets  for  the  hair,  a  piano, 
and  a  morocco-bound  Bible  and  Prayer  Book,  the  little 
girl  was  to  have  a  fashionably  dressed  doll  to  cost  a  guinea, 
another  to  cost  five  shillings,  and  "  a  box  of  gingerbread 
toys,  sugar  images  and  comfits." 

In  1770  William  Nelson,  of  Yorktown,  wrote  to  John 
Norton  that  the  revenue  acts  had  taught  the  colonists  that 
they  could  make  many  things  themselves  and  do  without 
many  others  that  they  used  to  indulge  in.    He  adds : 

"  I  now  wear  a  good  suit  of  cloth  of  my  son's  wool, 
manufactured  as  well  as  my  'shirts,  in  Albemarle,  my  shoes, 
hose,  buckles,  wigg  &  hat  etc.,  of  our  own  country,  and  in 
these  we  improve  every  year  in  Quantity  as  well  as 
Quality." 


14 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

JEWELS 

What  has  become  of  the  jewels  that  were  in  Colonial 
Virginia^  Have  most  of  them  gone  to  the  land  of  lost 
pins  and  hairpins — wherever  that  may  be — or  are  such  as 
have  survived  two  wars  and  innumerable  fires  cherished 
as  heirlooms  by  the  descendants  of  their  original  owners 
who  are  scattered  through  every  quarter  of  the  world? 
Some  of  them  can  still  be  traced,  of  course,  but  these  are 
an  infinitesimal  proportion  of  what  are  known  to  have 
existed.  Wills  and  inventories  that  remain  fairly  bristle 
w^ith  silver  and  jewelled  hatbands,  mourning  rings,  seal 
rings  with  coats-of-arms,  shoe,  knee,  and  stock-buckles, 
watches,  lockets,  hair  ornaments,  and  snuff-boxes,  and  name 
a  goodly  number  of  diamond  rings  and  earrings,  and  pearl 
necklaces,  and  an  occasional  diamond  necklace,  and  tliis 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  many  a  wealthy  man,  like 
Colonel  John  Tayloe  of  "  Mt.  Airy,"  simply  leaves  his 
wife  "  all  her  jewels,"  without  giving  any  indication  as  to 
what  they  were.  INIany  of  the  portraits  of  the  time  show 
handsome  jewels. 

The  mourning  ring,  which  was  in  fashion  in  both  the 
seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  had  generally  in- 
scribed within  it  the  name  or  initials  of  the  person  for  w^hose 
sake  it  was  worn  and  sometimes  a  motto  known  as  a  "  posy." 
Many  of  them  were  plain  gold,  others  more  or  less  ornate 
and  frc(]uently  cost  a  handsome  sum.  Black  enamel  or 
diamonds  or  a  combination  of  both,  or  a  tiny  lock  of  braided 
hair — under  glass,  and  sometimes  surrounded  by  dianiond 
"  sparks  "  or  by  pearls — were  favorite  decorations  for 
them.  The  inventory  of  Kdmund  Berkeley — 1710 — men- 
tions a  hair  ring  with  twelve  sparks  marked  K.B.,  and  one 
with  eight  sparks  marked  N.B.,  besides  twelve  other  mourn- 
ing rings  not  described   in  detail.     In   17.*J(>  the  Gazette  i 

206 


DRESS 

advertised  as  "  lost  "  a  mourning  ring,  with  a  black  enam- 
elled cross  between  fom-  sparks,  inscribed  "  H.  Ludwell, 
vid,  4  Aprilis,  1731.  JEt  52."  In  1758  Mrs.  Margaret 
Dowmiian,  of  Richmond  County,  bequeathed  to  each  of 
her  four  sons  "a  gold  ring  of  a  guinea  value,  inscribed  with 
her  initials  and  the  posy  '  Prepared  be  to  follow  me.'  " 

By  1765  the  fashion  of  giving  mourning  rings  had 
gone  over  the  mountains  to  The  Valley.  In  that  year  John 
jMitchell  bequeathed  "  an  ancient  family  white  stone  ring 
set  in  gold  "  to  ]Miss  Jennie  McClanahan,  and  to  five  of  his 
other  friends  "  a  plain  mourning  golden  ring  each." 

Less  frequently  mentioned  was  the  mourning  brooch 
which  almost  always  preserved  a  lock  of  hair.  There 
are  in  existence  a  mourning  ring  in  the  forai  of  a  hoop 
of  diamonds  memorializing  William  Lightfoot,  of  "  Ted- 
ington,"  who  died  in  1764,  and  two  brooches  surrounded 
with  diamonds  memorializing  his  wife,  Mildred  Lightfoot. 

Wedding  and  betrothal  rings  also  contained  posies. 
For  instance,  in  1736  Edward  Moseley,  of  Norfolk  County, 
bequeathed  a  seal  ring  with  his  "  coat-of-arms  on  it "  and 
his  mother's  wedding  ring  "  with  a  posey  in  it."  An  unfor- 
timate  dame  advertising  in  the  Virginia  Gazette  in  1739 
was  the  loser  of  a  green  silk  purse  in  which  was  a  plain 
gold  ring  with  the  posy  "Let  love  increase  to  crown  our 
peace."  A  lost  locket  advertised  in  1769  was  doubtless  a 
gage  d' amour,  and  not  a  badge  of  mourning.  It  con- 
tained a  lock  of  "  dark  hair  wrought  in  a  cipher  R.  T.,  on 
the  one  side  and  the  imitation  of  a  landscape  set  around 
with  garnets  on  the  other."  The  landscape  was  doubtless 
done  in  enamel. 

It  is  possible  to  give  here  but  a  few  examples  from 
a  multitude  of  bequests  of  jewels,  and  as  some  of  the  most 
valuable  of  these  are  from  the  very  few  records  of  the  early 

207 


COLOXLVL  VIRGIXLV,  ITS  TKOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

days  of  the  colony  which  have  escaped  destruction,  there  is 
no  telhng  what  the  great  mass  of  lost  wills  and  inventories 
might  have  disclosed. 

Among  extremely  early  owners  of  rich  jewels  in  Vir- 
ginia were  the  Piersey  girls,  daughters  of  Abraham  Pier- 
sey,  of  his  Majesty's  Council.  In  1G25  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Draper,  of  London,  left  to  her  granddaughter  Elizabeth 
Piersey  in  the  far-away  colony  "one  diamond  ring,"  and 
to  ISIary  "  one  diamond  ring  set  after  the  Dutch  fashion." 

In  1G50  Mrs.  Susanna  ^Nloseley,  of  Lower  Norfolk,  sold 
to  Mrs.  Frances  Yeardley,  for  some  cattle,  a  gold  hat- 
band, enamelled,  and  set  with  diamonds,  bought  in  Hol- 
land for  five  hundred  gelders,  a  "  jewel  "  of  gold — prob- 
ably a  pendant — enamelled,  and  set  with  diamonds,  worth 
thirty  gelders,  and  a  diamond  ring.  In  a  letter  she  ex- 
plained that  she  would  not  part  with  her  jewels  but  for 
her  "  great  want  of  cattle,"  but  had  rather  Mrs.  Yeardley 
would  wear  them  than  "  any  other  gentlewoman  in  the 
country,"  and  wished  her  "  health  and  prosperity  to  wear 
them."  Mrs.  Moseley  also  had  a  ruby,  a  sapphire,  and  an 
emerald  ring. 

Mrs.  Yeardley  had  other  costly  jewels,  for  in  her  will 
made  in  16.57 — the  year  of  her  death — she  directed  that 
her  "  best  diamond  necklace  and  jewel  "  should  be  sent 
to  England  to  be  sold,  and  the  money  they  brought  spent  on 
six  diamond  rings  to  be  given  to  six  of  her  friends,  and 
two  bhick  marble  tombstones  to  be  placed  over  her  grave 
and  that  of  the  second  of  her  three  husbands,  Captain 
John  Gookin;  by  whose  side  she  wished  to  be  buried. 
Whether  or  not  this  mistress  of  a  plantation  in  a  then  . 
remote  section  of  the  sparsely  settled  colony  had  a  second  h 
best  diamond  necklace  this  witness  will  not  undertake  to  » 
say,  but  the  inference  is  she  had.    Her  tomb  bought  with  i 

806 


CupyriKlit,  lyuS.  by    I.  E.  II    I'lst 

MRS.  JOHN  TAYLOE  AND  DAUGHTER  MARY 

Afterward  Mr*.  Mann  Page.     About  I7j6 


DRESS 

part  of  the  "  best  diamond  necklace  "  could  be  seen  within 
recent  years  in  Lynnhaven  Parish  Churchyard.  It  de- 
clared tliat  beneath  it  lay  "  Ye  body  of  Capt.  John  Gooking 
and  also  ye  body  of  ^Irs.  Sarah  Yardley,  who  was  wife  to 
Capt.  Adam  Thorowgood,  Capt.  John  Gooking  &  CoUonell 
Francis  Yardley." 

In  1669  Colonel  John  Carter,  of  "  Corotoman,"  left 
his  wife  Elizabeth  her  necklace  of  pearls  and  diamonds,  and 
to  his  son  Robert  "  his  mother's  hoop  ring  and  crystal 
necklace." 

In  1673  Mrs.  Amory  Butler  bequeathed  to  various 
heirs  her  wedding  ring,  two  of  her  biggest  stone  rings,  her 
blue  enamelled  ring,  two  mourning  rings,  her  small  dia- 
mond ring,  her  biggest  diamond  ring,  her  necklace  with  the 
biggest  pearls,  her  small  pearl  necklace,  her  silver  bodkin 
and  her  gilded  bodkin,  a  pair  of  silver  buttons,  and  a  pair  of 
silver  buckles.  A  bodkin  was  in  those  days  an  ornamental 
hairpin. 

In  1677  ^Irs.  Elizabeth  Howe,  of  London,  who  was 
an  ancestress  of  General  Lee,  left  to  her  granddaughter 
Henrietta  Maria  Hill,  of  "  Shirley,"  on  James  River,  a 
"necklace  of  pearle,"  to  Sara  Hill  "a  rose  diamond  ring," 
to  Elizabeth  Hill  "  a  table  diamond  ring,"  and  to  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Edward  Hill,  the  mother  of  these  girls, 
"  a  gold  seal  ring." 

Among  quaint  bequests  in  the  will  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Eppes,  in  1678,  were  two  "  stone  rings  "  and  a  "  thumb 
ring." 

In  1687  Thomas  Pitt,  of  Isle  of  Wight  County,  be- 
queathed to  his  "  deare  and  lovinge  wife,"  Mary,  with  "  all 
her  wearing  apparel,"  her  wedding  ring,  two  diamond 
rings,  an  enamelled  ring,  and  a  necklace  of  pearls.  The 
question  naturally  arises  wherewithal  would  a  poor  widow 

209 


COLONIAL  VIRGINTA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

have  been  clothed  in  good  old  times  when  even  her  wedding 
ring  was  not  her  own,  had  her  husband  neglected  to  give 
her  in  his  last  will  and  testament  "  her  wearing  apparel  "? 

According  to  the  inventory  of  Colonel  Edward  Digges 
he  left  in  1692  eight  gold  mom-ning  rings,  one  diamond 
ring,  a  small  stone  ring  and  "  a  parcel  of  sea  pearls." 

The  inventory  of  Edmund  Berkeley,  1718-10,  men- 
tions, besides  the  interesting  mourning  rings  already  de- 
scribed, a  large  gold  ring,  a  "  set  of  ruby  bobs,"  two  neck- 
laces of  very  fine,   small  beads,  forty-four  small  silver  ' 
buttons,  and  a  necklace  of  five  strings  of  small  pearls. 

In  1706  Madam  Frances  Spencer,  wife  of  Colonel 
Nicholas  Spencer,  Secretary  of  State  of  Virginia,  gave 
her  daughter  a  pearl  necklace  valued  at  eighty  pounds 
sterling — equal  to  at  least  a  thousand  dollars  to-day. 

In  1726  Robert  ("  King  ")  Carter  directed  in  his  will 
that  thirty  pounds  be  paid  for  a  gold  watch  and  twenty-five 
pounds  for  a  pearl  necklace  for  his  daughter  Mary  when 
she  should  arrive  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  that  diamond 
earrings  to  cost  fifty  pounds  sterling  be  imported  for  his' 
daughter  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Doctor  George  Nicholas. 
He  directed  that  thirty  of  his  friends  be  presented  with 
mourning  rings  j 

In  1742-43  William  Randolph,  of  "  Tuckahoe,"  be- 
queathed to  his  daugliter  Juditli  the  "rings  and  trinkets 
which  were  her  mother's,"  and  to  his  younger  daughter, 
Mary,  two  hundred  pounds  sterling  "  to  be  laid  out  in  suchi 
trinkets  as  her  guardians  shall  think  fit." 

In  1747  John  (iryines  left  a  diamond  ring  worth  fifty 
guineas  to  the  Right  Honorable  Horatio  Walpole,  am 
uncle  of  the  famous  Horace,  as  an  acknowledgment  of 
favors  done  him  in  England. 

In  1751  Colonel  Thomas  Bray,  of  James  City  County, 

210 


DRESS 

left  a  set  of  silver  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  a  silver  collar 
for  a  waiting  man,  a  pair  of  gold  sleeve  buttons,  and  "about 
twenty  gold  rings,  several  of  them  set  with  valuable  stones." 

In  1764  William  Lightfoot,  of  "  Tedington,"  left,  with 
many  other  luxurious  possessions,  a  miniature  of  himself 
in  a  gold  frame  ornamented  with  a  bow-knot  of  diamonds, 
also  a  gold  snufF-box  with  a  miniature  of  his  wife  inside. 

There  seem  to  have  been  quite  well  stocked  jewelry 
stores  in  the  colony  during  the  eighteenth  century.  In 
1737  Alexander  Kerr,  of  Williamsburg,  advertised  in  the 
Gazette  a  collection  of  jewels  to  be  sold  by  lottery  during 
the  October  Court.  There  were  to  be  four  hundred  tickets, 
eighty  of  which  would  draw  prizes.  Each  prize  would  con- 
sist of  a  group  of  trinkets,  and  among  the  articles  in  the 
various  groups  described  were  diamond,  emerald,  ruby, 
amethyst,  and  garnet  rings,  earrings,  studs,  seals,  buckles, 
and  snuff-boxes. 

The  earliest  mention  of  a  watch  in  my  notes  is  in  1697 
when  Richard  Aubrey,  of  Essex  County,  bequeathed  two 
silver  seals,  one  of  which  had  been  his  grandfather's,  and 
his  "  Dudelum  watch."  There  may  have  been  others  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  and  certain  it  is  that  there  were 
plenty  of  them  in  the  eighteenth.  Leroy  George,  of  Rich- 
mond County,  bequeathed  one  as  early  as  1700,  and  Tobias 
Mickleborough,  of  INIiddlesex,  another  in  1702,  and  from 
that  time  on  gold  and  silver  watches  were  frequent  bequests. 

An  especially  interesting  w^atch  was  that  presented 
by  Daniel  Parke  Custis  to  his  seventeen-year-old  bride, 
Martha  Dandridge,  who  was  later  the  wife  of  George 
Washington.  Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Custis  wrote  his 
agent  in  London: 

"  I  desire  a  handsome  watch  for  my  wife,  a  pattern  like 
the  one  you  bought  for  Mrs.  Burwell,  with  her  name 

211 


COLONIAL  VIRGINM,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND    CUSTOMS 

around  the  dial.  There  are  just  twelve  letters  in  her 
name,  ^lartha  Custis,  a  letter  for  each  hour  marked  on  the 
dial-plate." 

The  watch,  which  is  preserved  at  Washington's  head- 
quarters at  Newburg-on-the-Hudson,  has  an  open-faced, 
gold  case,  inlaid  with  white  enamel,  and  around  the 
dial — a  leter  over  each  numeral — may  be  read  the  name, 

MARTHA      CUSTIS. 


VII 
VIRGINIA  AND  ENGLAND 


HE     Colonial 


Virginian 


thought 
and  spoke  of  England  as  "  home." 
With  no  means  of  communication 
save  the  primitive  sailing  vessels 
of  the  time,  intercourse  with  the 
IMother  Country  was  far  more  inti- 
mate than  now  with  fast  steamers, 
the  Atlantic  cable,  and  wii*eless  telegraphy.  This  was,  in 
part,  of  course,  the  result  of  being  under  one  government, 
but  it  was  even  more  by  reason  of  close  business,  social, 
and  family  ties. 

The  settlement  of  Virginia  had  introduced  into  the 
world's  market  an  entirely  new  product — tobacco — which 
caused  as  sensational  a  development  of  trade  along  a 
hitherto  unknown  line  in  the  seventeenth  century  as  the 
automobile  has  in  the  twentieth,  and  the  colonists  soon 
realized  that  though  they  had  not  found  gold  they  had 
that  for  which  men  were  willing  to  exchange  gold — which 
was  as  good  for  supplying  the  necessities  of  life  and  more, 
the  luxuries  that  add  to  the  enjoyment  of  life. 

So  fascinating  did  the  new  weed  prove  that  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  grow  it  fast  enough  to  satisfy  the  consumer  across 
the  sea.  It  is  said  that  when  Doctor  James  Blair  was 
pleading  for  a  charter  for  William  and  Mary  College  for 
the  sake  of  the  souls  of  the  Virginians,  the  English  Attor- 
ney General  sent  back  the  answer, 
"  Damn  your  souls,  plant  tobacco!  " 
As  the  more  of  it  they  planted  the  more  comfort  in  the 
way  of  English-made  goods  appeared  in  their  homes, 
tobacco  became  and  remained  Virginia's  principal  staple — 
the  planter's  chief  source  of  income — and  created  constant 

213 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

business  intercourse  with  Great  Britain.  Every  substan- 
tial planter  had  one  or  more  merchants  in  P^ngland  or 
Scotland  to  whom  he  regularly  shipped  his  croj)  for  sale 
with  a  bill  of  lading  like  this: 

"  Shipped  by  the  grace  of  God  in  Good  order  &  well 
conditioned  by  John  Fitz  Randolph  in  &  upon  the  Good 
ship  Called  the  Constant  Endeavor  whereof  is  Master 
under  God  for  this  present  Voyage  John  Pawling  &  now 
riding  at  Anchor  in  the  River  Rappahannock  &  by  God's 
Grace  bound  for  the  port  of  London,  to  say  Tenn  hogs- 
heads of  Virginia  Tobacco  .  .  .  and  so  God  send  the  Good 
shipp  to  her  desired  port  in  Safety.  Amen.  Dated  in 
Virginia  the  17th  of  October  '74." 

Another  frequent  conclusion  was  "  God  send  the  good 
ship  in  safety  to  the  haven  where  she  would  be." 

With  his  precious  crop  the  shipper  sent  orders  for  pur- 
chases in  infinite  variety,  from  tacks  to  thoroughbred 
horses,  and  the  merchant  acted  as  his  purchasing  agent — 
buying  the  articles  named  from  the  retailers  in  London, 
Glasgow,  or  elsewhere,  and  speeding  them  on  their  way  to 
Virginia,  accompanied  by  his  own  general  account  and 
the  retailer's  bills,  or  "  shop-bills  "  as  they  were  called.  A 
number  of  these  shop-bills  have  been  preserved  in  old 
family  papers,  and  possibly  there  may  yet  be  tucked  away 
in  the  pigeon-hole  of  some  ancient  desk  a  Chippendale 
shop-bill. 

The  last  order  sent  by  Martha  Custis  to  her  London 
merchant  before  she  became  Mrs.  Washington,  was  for 
])iirchases  for  her  family  and  plantation  to  the  value  of 
£309. 8. .5,  and  it  would  be  diflicult  to  name  any  article  of 
ordinary  use  not  contained  in  it.  Three  months  before 
slu'  h.id  imported  goods  worth  £103.15.5. 

Mrs.  Custis  shi])pcd  her  tobacco  to  Ilanbury  and  Com- 

214 


2! 

3     2 

S   - 

<  :j 


< 


VIRGINIA  AND  ENGLAND 


pany,  Quakers,  who  were  great  merchants  of  London.  On 
Octoher  1,  1759,  they  sent  the  newly- wedded  Washington 
this  quaint  expression  of  good  will: 

"Esteemed  Friend: 

"  We  are  favored  with  Thine  of  June  12th,  informing  us 
of  Thy  marriage  with  our  friend  Martha  Custis,  upon 
which  circumstance  w^e  heartily  congratulate  you  both  & 
wish  you  a  great  deal  of  happiness." 

Some  planters  made  a  point  of  not  buying  anything 
in  Virginia  if  they  could  possibly  help  it.  George  Lee, 
of  Westmoreland,  directed  in  his  will  in  1761  that  "the 
goods,  clothes  and  tools  wanted  for  the  use  of  the  negroes 
and  plantations  may  be  yearly  sent  for  to  England  and 
none  purchased  in  the  Country  but  what  there  is  an  abso- 
lute necessity  for."  '    "^' "~^ 

Sometimes,  it  seems,  wives  of  London  merchants 
would,  as  an  especial  favor,  shop  for  the  wives  of  Virginia 
planters..  In  1737  one  of  these — Mrs.  Elizabeth  Perry — 
wrote  to  MrsTTnomas  Jones,  of  Williamsburg: 

"  I  am  very  glad  w^hat  I  do  for  my  friends  in  Virginia 
pleases  them.  I  have  done  my  best  endeavors  that  Misses 
things  should  be  what  she  likes,  for  a  walking  gown  I  have 
bought  a  Turkey  Burdet  for  I  thought  a  Cery  dery  had 
too  mean  a  look  and  tho'  what  I  have  sent  is  something 
dearer  it  will  answer  it  in  the  wear,  as  for  the  piece  of 
sprigged  muslin  you  wish  for  there  is  no  such  thing  for  the 
money  you  allow.  I  have  been,  or  sent,  all  over  the  town 
and  there  is  none  to  be  got  under  double  the  price,  so  have 
not  sent  you  any." 

An  entry  in  Colonel  James  Gordon's  diary  tells  us 
that  he  had  been  "  busy  all  day  writing  letters  to  England." 

Every  extensive  planter  seems  to  have  kept  copies  of 
his  letters  in  a  book  provided  for  the  purpose,  and  these 

215 


COLONIAL  VIRGINL^,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

letters  and  the  replies  show  that  correspondence  between 
Virginians  and  their  T^ondon  niercliants — often  continuing 
through  years — resulted  in  business  friendships  which 
sometimes  grew  into  intimacies.  The  wTiters  exchanged 
presents  and  bits  of  news  and  gossip  and  the  merchants 
looked  after  the  planters'  sons  when  they  were  sent  abroad 
to  be  educated  and  were  hospitable  to  the  planters  them- 
selves when  they  crossed  the  sea.  Charles  Goore,  a  Liver- 
pool merchant,  writing  to  Theodorick  Bland,  Sr.,  of  Vir- 
ginia, in  1758,  acknowledged  a  "  kind  present  of  hams  and 
peach  brandy"  which  were  "very  good,"  and  a  red  bird 
which  "  dyed  "  on  the  way.  In  1765  Mr.  Bland  thanks 
a  merchant  for  "  eight  very  fine  pineapples,"  and  in  1707 
John  Hall,  merchant  of  London,  thanks  ]Mr.  Bland  for 
some  "exceeding  fine"  hams,  and  sends  him  in  return  "a 
cag  of  new  red  herrings." 

Hams  and  tobacco  were  the  most  frequent  presents 
from  Virginians  to  friends  and  relatives  in  England 
throughout  the  period,  and  doubtless  none  could  have  been 
more  acceptable.  In  1689  C.  Calthorpe  sent  his  relative, 
James  Calthorpe,  of  East  Barsham,  in  Suffolk,  Eng., 
*'  two  Bowles  of  Chawing  tobacco  "  which  he  declared 
"  upon  his  word  to  be  the  best." 

VavTCHjs  oilier  cliaracteristic^gifts  were  sgnt  "  home.* 
In  ^686/William  Byrd,  the  firsVT^' rote  to  his  friend,  John 
Clinton,  "  According  to  your  desire  I  have  herewith  sent 
you  an  Indian  Habitt  for  your  B(n',  the  best  I  could  pro- 
cure amongst  our  neighbor  Indians."  This  included  a 
"  flap  " — drapery  worn  about  the  waist — "  a  pair  of  moc- 
casins, or  Indian  sIkx^s,  also  some  shells  to  put  about  his 
neck  and  a  cap  of  wampum  " — all  of  which  were  sent  in 
an  Indian  basket  with  "  a  bow  and  airows  tyed  to  itt." 
The  ]iaj)])y  little  Englisli  boy  who  received  this  present  was 
possibly  the  first  white  child  who  ever  "  played  Indian." 

il6 


MRGINIA  AND  ENGLAND 


Virginia  seeds  and  plants  were  often  sent  across  the 
ocean  as  presents.  In  1690  Colonel  Byrd  wrote  to  Thomas 
Wetherold  that  he  had  saved  hiin  many  seeds,  but  all  had 
been  ruined  except  the  ones  he  sent — namely,  "  Poppeas 
Arbor,  Rhus  Sentisei  folius.  Sassafras  and  Laurus  Tulip- 
fera." 

In  1730  the  distinguished  naturalist,  Catesby,  wrote  his 
niece,  ]Mrs.  Thomas  Jones,  that  he  was  sending  her  the 
instalments  of  his  "  Natural  History  "  and  that  Virginia 
cones,  acorns,  and  seeds — "especially  of  poplar,  cypress 
and  some  long  white  walnut " — would  be  acceptable  to 
him.  There  is  still  in  existence  in  Virginia  a  copy  of 
Catesby's  work  sent  by  him  to  John  Clayton,  the  botanist. 

Dwellers  in  the  iaraway  colony  were  ever  eager  for 
home  news.  In  1690  Byrd  said  in  a  letter  to  his  brother- 
in-law,  Daniel  Horsmanden: 

"  Wee  are  here  at  ye  end  of  ye  world  &  Europe  may 
bee  turned  topsy  turvy  ere  wee  can  hear  a  word  of  it;  but 
when  news  comes  wee  have  it  whole  sale,  very  often  more 
than  the  truth.'t 

Eighty  years  later  Roger  Atkinson  wrote  to  Robert 
Bunn,  merchant  of  London: 

"  Pray  send  me  the  newspapers  &  magazines  &  Political 
Registers,  regularly.  ...  I  never  desire  to  read  anything 
else  except  an  Almanack,  a  Prayer  Book  and  a  Bible." 
And  in  the  same  year  another  London  merchant,  Edward 
Brown,  wrote  to  Thomas  Adams: 

*'  Junius  has  wrote  his  last  letter  which  being  a  very 
bold  one,  addressed  to  the  K-g,  has  made  a  great  noise. 
I  intend  to  send  it  to  you  by  Mr.  Mosse  who  goes  in  Capt. 
Walker's  ship." 

Sometimes  correspondence  between  Virginians  and 
their  relatives  at  home  was  kept  up  continuously  for  many 

217 


/" 


COLONIAL  VIRGINL^,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

years — as  in  the  case  of  George  Home  or  Hume,  of  Wed- 
derburn,  whose  letters  to  and  from  his  family  in  Scotland 
have  been  published.^ 

A  great  part  of  the  business  done  for  and  by  Virginians 
in  London  was  transacted  at  the  "  Virginia  Coffee  House  '* 
and  on  the  "  Virginia  Walk  "  in  the  Exchange.  This 
coffee  house  was  a  favorite  gathering  place  for  visitors  from 
the  colony,  and  provided  them  with  a  sort  of  club.  In 
1685  William  Fitzhugh  wrote  a  cousin  in  London: 

"  Upon  the  Exchange  in  the  Virginia  Walk,  you'll 
meet  ]Mr.  Cooper,  a  Virginia  merchant,  who  will  take  care 
of  and  convey  your  letters  to  me." 

In  17G9  Captain  Robert  Stewart,  a  regular  corre- 
spondent of  Washington's,  in  London,  sent  his  letters  to 
the  Virginia  Coffee  House  to  be  forwarded. 

And  now  for  a  bit  of  gossip,  plenty  of  which  was  heard 
at  the  Coffee  House.  John  Pratt,  writing  from  London 
in  1725  to  his  sister-in-law,  the  much  courted  widow,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Pratt,  says: 

"  Mr.  Robert  Cary,  last  Thursday  in  the  Virg'a  Coffee 
House  told  me,  publicly,  yt  he  had  letters  from  several  in 
Virg'a  yt  you  wer  certainly  to  be  married  to  ^Ir.  Thom 
Jones,  Col.  Bird  was  there  present." 

And  Mrs.  Pratt  certainly  was  married  to  Mr.  Jones 
very  soon  thereafter.  A  few  months  later  she  had  another 
letter  from  her  gossipy  brother-in-law  in  London  in  which 
he  told  lier  that  "  Colo  S})otswood  was  married  about  a 
month  ago  to  a  dauglitcr  of  Mr.  Braine  who  was  formerly 
Stewart  of  Chelsea  College,"  and  added: 

"  Ve  young  lady  is  said  to  be  wonderfully  ])rctty,  but 
no  money." 

While  business  took  large  numbers  of  Virginians  to 


*  Va.  Mag.  Hist,  and  Biog.,  xx,  381,  etc. 

218 


»•'  '  —  ^  <  J  ^ G  O  I-JJ^S  M  I  T  ir.« .FK  WE  L  I.  E  Rj 


^/ 


CO 


-^/^'    J^  ■  ^  - 


a^^^Ja^ff/ -^^'3'«'-    -.  -    - 


LONDON  SHOP  BILLS 

For  goods  for  Virjfinians 


VIRGINIA  AND  ENGLAND 


Great  Britain,  others  went  for  pleasure  or  improvement 
in  health.  They  frequented  the  theatres,  and  Bath  was  to 
them,  as  to  the  English,  a  sort  of  Atlantic  City  of  the  time 
to  which  they  resorted  both  for  physical  benefit  and  diver- 
sion. Young  Samuel  Griffin,  of  AVilliamsburg,  was  there 
in  October,  1771,  and  in  a  letter  to  Thomas  Adams  in 
London,  said: 

"  Bath  is  at  this  time  very  full  of  company,  though 
very  few  handsome  Men  and  Women  and  no  Fortunes 
worth  making  a  Bold  Stroak  for.  .  .  .  We  have  at  this 
time  four  Balls  a  week  though  I  think  they  can't  be  sup- 
ported as  most  of  the  Company  think  Two  enough.  The 
new  rooms  have  Mondays  and  Thursdays  with  Concerts 
on  Wednesdays  and  generally  very  full." 

In  the  same  year  Mr.  Adams  had  a  letter  from  Isaac 
Hall,  a  Virginia  student  of  medicine  at  Edinburgh,  show- 
ing the  writer's  familiarity  with  London  theatres. 

"  I  have  enjoyed,"  said  he,  "  as  good  spirits  as  can 
be  expected  from  one  who  lately  left  your  Playhouses,  &c, 
to  become  a  retired,  sedentary  student  in  Edin'h.  But 
however  heroically  I  may  bear  the  want  of  such  sublime 
entertainments,  I  can't  forbear  enquiring  after  them,  has 
Garrick,  the  Pride  and  Boast  of  the  Theatrical  world, 
appeared,  &  what  characters? — has  Barry  yet  recovered 
his  health?  does  his  lady  retain  all  her  power  of  terrifying, 
reforming  &  melting  the  Audiences,  and  does  she  shew 
herself  often— &  Mrs.  Yates?  " 

It  is  likely  that  the  only  acquaintances  of  most  Vir- 
ginians visiting  England  whose  families  had  been  in  the 
colony  for  several  generations  were  the  merchants,  but 
those  who  were  born  in  the  mother-land  or  had  kept  in 
touch  with  their  kinsfolk  there  had  a  far  wider  circle. 
Among  these  was  Mr.  Thomas  Jones  who  during  a  visit 

219 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

to  England  when  a  young  man  was  fortunate  enough  to 
receive  a  gracious  invitation  from  ^Margaret,  Lady  Cul- 
peper,  wife  of  Lord  Culpeper,  who  had  been  Governor  of 
Virginia,  and  was  a  friend  of  young  Jones's  father — 
Captain  Roger  Jones.    Here  is  the  invitation : 

Leeds  Castle,  December  the  19th,  1706. 
Sir 

I  received  3'rs  of  the  14  instant  and  am  glad  of  your  safe  arrival 
in  England.  I  hope  you  are  come  upon  a  good  account  that  will 
turn  to  your  advantage.  I  shall  be  verj'  glad  to  see  you  here  if 
it  is  no  prejudice  to  your  business  and  you  shall  be  very  wellcome 
when  you  please  to  come.  .   .   . 

My  daughter  and  her  seven  children  are  all  very  well  this  is  all 
from  Sir 

Yor  affectionate  friend  &  servant 

Mar.  Culpeper. 

It  is  addressed: 

For  Mr.  Thomas  Jones 
at  the  Virginia  Coffee  house 
at  London. 

It  is  interesting  to  recall  that  in  the  course  of  time 
Leeds  Castle  became  the  property  of  an  emigrant  to  Vir- 
ginia— Lord  Fairfax — who  inherited  it  from  his  grand- 
father, Lord  Culpeper.  He  erected  at  Leeds  a  sun-dial 
so  ingeniously  contrived  that  it  showed  the  time  of  day  both 
there  and  at  "  Belvoir,"  the  Fairfax  home  in  Virginia. 

Another  lucky  youth  was  I'eyton  Skipwith,  who  at  the 
age  of  twenty — and  the  year  before  he  became  Sir  Peyton 
Skipwith,  Bart. — went  to  England  to  see  the  sweetheart 
who  was  later  his  wife.  AVhile  on  a  visit  to  Rath  he  was 
taken  ill — he  feared  hopelessly — but  was  prevailed  on  by 
his  "  good  friend  INIr.  IIanl)ury  Williams  "  to  go  with  him 
to  his  seat,  "  Coldbrooke."  in  Wales,  where  he  recovered 
his  health.     In  a  letter  written  from  '*  Coldbrooke  "  to 

2£0 


MRGINIA  AND  ENGLAND 


Theodorick  Bland,  Jr.,  of  Virginia — then  a  student  at  the 
University  of  Edinburgh — young  Skipwith  says  his  host  is 
"  heir  to  the  great  Mr.  Charles  H.  Williams,  and  lives  like 
a  prince  in  a  most  agreeable  house  that  was  his,  furnished  in 
a  more  elegant  manner  than  any  house  I  have  ever  been  in." 

The  Hanbury  Williams  family  was  one  of  great  wealth 
and  social  prominence,  but  for  all  their  grandeur  and  their 
kindness  their  guest  from  over  the  water  seems  to  have 
been  a  bit  homesick.     He  entreats  Bland: 

"  Pray  don't  be  so  devilish  concise  and  lazy,  but  write 
me  all  the  news.  .  .  .  Pray  make  my  comp'ts  to  your 
cousin  and  his  good  family.  Col.  Ludwell  and  his,  ^Ir.  Din- 
widdie  and  his  and  all  other  acquaintances,  not  forgetting 
Mr.  Burwell  and  his  family.  Pray,  if  you  hear  any  Vir- 
ginia news  don't  forget  to  mention  it." 

In  1726  Colonel  William  Byrd,  the  second,  returned 
to  "  Westover  "  from  a  long  visit  to  England  where  his 
daughters  Evelyn,  a  nineteen-year-old  girl  of  flower-like 
beauty,  and  Wilhemina,  a  child  of  ten,  had  been  made  much 
of  in  high  society.  Soon  afterward  he  wrote  to  John, 
Lord  Boyle,  son  of  his  intimate  friend  the  Earl  of  Orrery, 
whose  guests  he  and  his  family  had  been: 

"  ^ly  Young  Gentlewomen  like  everything  in  the  coun- 
try except  the  Retirement,  they  can't  get  the  Plays,  the 
Operas  and  the  Masquerades  out  of  their  Heads,  much 
less  can  they  forget  their  Friends.  However,  the  lightness 
of  our  Atmosphere  helps  them  to  bear  all  their  losses  with 
more  Spirit  and  that  they  may  amuse  themselves  the  better, 
they  are  every  Day  up  to  their  Elbows  in  Housewifery, 
which  will  qualify  them  effectually  for  useful  Wives  and 
if  they  live  long  enough,  for  notable  women." 

A  year  later  Colonel  Byrd  wrote  to  the  Earl  of  Orrery: 

"  My  Lord — I  am  made  obliged  to  your  Lordship  for 

15  221 


COLONIAL  MRGINIA,  11^  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

being  so  very  good  as  to  sweeten  my  Retirement  by  writing 
so  often.  Whenever  my  spirits  sink  at  any  Time  below 
the  natural  pitch  Your  Letters  are  Cordial  enough  to  raise 
them  again,  and  make  me  as  gay  as  the  Spring.  They  all 
bring  to  my  ^lemory  all  the  delightful  scenes  at  Britwell 
and  Downing  Street  and  for  Variety  make  me  look  back 
sometimes  on  the  graver  amusements  at  Will's.  ^Irs.  Byrd 
too,  gives  you  a  thousand  thanks  for  your  Favours  to  her 
daughters." 

In  17G0  Arthur  Lee  went  to  England  to  study  medi- 
cine— arriving  there  two  weeks  before  Christmas.  On 
Christmas  Kve  he  met  Samuel  Johnson — probably  at  the 
house  of  John  Paradise,  a  friend  of  Doctor  Johnson's  who 
had  married  a  Virginia  woman.  The  Doctor  graciously 
advised  the  young  visitor  as  to  the  best  place  in  which  to 
study  his  profession,  and  writing  his  brother,  Richard 
Henry  Lee,  of  his  London  experiences,  Arthur  said: 

"  Last  night  I  was  in  company  with  Dr.  Johnson, 
author  of  the  English  Dictionary.  His  outward  appear- 
ance is  very  droll  and  uncouth.  The  too  arduous  cultiva- 
tion of  his  mind  seems  to  have  caused  a  very  great  neglect 
of  his  body,  but  for  this  his  friends  are  amply  rewarded  in 
the  enjoyment  of  a  mind  most  elegantly  polished,  en- 
lightened and  refined;  possessed  as  he  is  of  an  inexhaustible 
fund  of  remark,  a  Copious  flow  of  words,  expressions 
strong,  nervous,  pathetic  and  exalted,  add  to  this  an  ac- 
(juaiiitance  witli  almost  every  subject  that  can  be  pro- 
posed; an  intelligent  mind  cannot  fail  of  receiving  the 
most  agreeable  information  and  entertainment  in  his  con- 
versation." - 

Arthur  IjVC  met  Dr.  Johnson  at  least  once  more — 
dining  with  him  on  a  famous  occasion  in  ^Liy,  1776,  when 

"  Southern  Literary  Messenger,  xxix,  62,  63. 

ttt 


<(ll,ll\l  I,   DAMII.   I'AKkK 


VIRGINIA  AND  ENGLAND 


Boswell,  with  whom  Lee  had  formed  a  friendship  at  Ediii- 
burtrh,  upon  which  University  his  choice  had  fallen,  was 
much  exercised  as  to  how  his  adored  Doctor  and  John 
Wilkes  would  get  along  together. 

But  not  all  Virginians  had  such  happy  experiences 
in  the  old  countr}'.  To  some  the  temptations  of  the  cities 
proved  too  strong,  while  others  got  into  financial  straits 
from  living  beyond  their  means,  or  from  slow  remittances 
from  home.  To  these  Thomas  Adams,  a  member  of  a 
well-known  family  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  who  was  for  a 
time  a  merchant  in  London,  seems  to  have  been  a  veritable 
angel  of  mercy — his  big  heart  and  open  purse  making  him 
a  very  ready  help  in  time  of  trouble.  The  letter  wi'itten 
him  by  Samuel  Griffin,  describing  the  delights  of  Bath, 
was  followed  speedily  by  another  showing  a  change  of 
mood,  and  appealing  for  aid  in  getting  the  writer  out  of 
difficulties  into  which  gambling  had  involved  him. 

"  To  be  ingenuous,"  he  wrote,  "  I  have  been  imprudent 
enough  to  suffer  myself  to  be  taken  in  by  a  set  of  D'd 
knaves,  however  I  have  set  a  Resolution  never  again  to 
play  at  any  kind  of  a  game  but  for  amusement." 

In  the  same  year  George  Mercer,  of  Stafford  County, 
Virginia,  who  had  been  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  French 
and  Indian  War,  and  of  whom  a  handsome  portrait  re- 
mains, wrote  in  desperation: 

"  My  dear  Adams,  you  must  by  some  means  or  other 
procure  me  £50  by  Tuesday  morning,  or  I  must  go  to  the 
Dogs."  He  was  expecting  a  shipment  of  "  a  hundred 
puncheons  of  Shenandoah  tobacco  "  from  his  estate  in  the 
colony  with  which  he  hoped  to  pay  all  his  debts.  Mr. 
Adams  evidently  helped  him  out,  but  he  was  soon  in  straits 
again.  Nevertheless,  he  courted  and  won  an  English 
girl  and  when  her  parents  very  naturally  opposed  the 

223 


COLONIAL  MIIGL\L\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

match,  eloped  with  her.  The  post  chaise  in  which  the  pair 
ran  away  in  good  old-fashioned  style  was  overturned,  but 
as  tlicy  were  not  hurt  the  accident  "  occasioned  more 
laughter  than  crying."  xVt  Yarmouth  they  stopped  long 
enough  for  the  hopeful  bridegroom  to  write  Mr.  Adams 
telling  him  of  two  bills  amounting  to  sixty  pounds  which 
would  fall  due  in  a  week,  and  begging  his  friend  to  get 
him  the  money  "  by  hook  or  by  crook,"  to  pay  the  interest 
on  them,  and  leave  it  with  his  housekeeper,  as  he  did  not 
think  it  would  "  appear  decent "  to  be  arrested  on  his 
"  return  home  with  Madam  for  such  a  sum  as  £60." 

A  postscript  gives  a  glimpse  of  the  bride-to-be. 

"  I  have  told  her,"  it  said,  "  I  am  writing  to  a  par- 
ticular Friend.  She  desires  for  Heaven's  Sake  and  for 
the  sake  of  my  own  character,  that  I  will  not  mention  to 
him  that  I  have  a  giddy,  hot  headed,  runaway  Young  girl 
with  me,  esiJecially  if  the  friend  has  anything  serious  about 
him." 

Perhaps  the  most  adventurous  career  of  any  Virginian 
who  travelled  abroad  during  the  Colonial  period  was  Daniel 
Parke,  the  younger,  son  of  the  Daniel  Parke,  Burgess, 
Councillor  and  Secretaiy  of  State,  whose  mural  tablet  may 
be  seen  in  old  Bruton  Church,  Williamsburg.  I^ike  his 
father,  young  Parke  served  as  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Burgesses  and  of  the  Council,  but  public  life  in  Virginia 
offered  too  narrow  oppcM't unities  to  satisfy  so  tempera- 
mental a  gentleman,  and  after  a  stormy  career  in  the 
colony  he  went  to  Kngland,  where  he  bought  an  estate 
and  becaine  a  member  of  Parliament,  but  was  unseated 
for  bribing  voters.  In  1701  he  volunteered  under  Lord 
Arran  for  the  campaign  in  Flanders,  and  in  1704,  at  the 
battle  of  lilenheiin,  he  was  aide  to  Marlborough  and  so 
distinguished  himself  that  he  was  sent  with  the  first  news 


MRGINIA  AND  ENGLAND 


of  the  great  victory  to  England.  He  received  handsome 
rewards,  including  a  jewelled  miniature  of  Queen  Anne, 
which  he  ever  after  wore  on  his  breast,  and  which  appears 
in  the  two  portraits  of  liim  now  remaining  in  Virginia. 
Governor  Nicholson,  in  announcing  the  victory  to  the 
colonists,  told  them  with  pride  that  the  good  news  was 
brought  to  England  by  "  Colonel  Parke,  a  gentleman,  and 
a  native  of  tliis  Colony." 

Many  Virginia  wills  mention  English  possessions  or 
make  bequests  to  persons  in  England,  and  many  English 
wills  name  heirs  in  Virginia  or  bequeath  property  there. 
Here  are  a  few  illustrations,  taken  at  random : 

In  1640  Edward  Dewall,  servant  of  Symon  Cornocke, 
of  Warwicksqueake,  Virginia,  bequeathed  his  master  an 
inn  called  "  The  Rose,"  in  Reading,  England.  In  1645 
George  Scott,  grocer,  of  London,  left  a  brother  all  his 
lands  at  Martin's  Hundred,  Virginia.  In  1648  Mrs. 
Susan  Perrin  writes  her  son  John  in  Virginia: 

"  Yor  father  hath  departed  this  life  and  hath  left  you 
a  little  house." 

The  fond  mother  also  tells  John  that  she  has  sent  him 
a  barrel  of  "  things,"  a  servant  boy,  and  a  small  piece  of 
gold  for  his  wife,  and  adds,  "  There  is  a  noate  in  ye  barrel, 
it  lyeth  at  ye  topp  in  ye  new  blankett." 

The  Northampton  records  for  1652  contain  a  power 
of  attorney  from  Doctor  John  Harmer,  "  Ye  Greeke 
reader  to  Ye  University  of  Oxford,  heir  of  Charles  Har- 
mer, now  or  late  of  Jamestown  in  ye  Dominion  aforesaid." 

In  1672  Thomas  Gerrard,  of  Westmoreland  County, 
Virginia,  bequeathed  land  "  lying  in  ye  Kingdom  of 
England." 

In  1684  Thomas  Pope,  "  of  Bristol,  Merchant,"  left 
land  in  Gloucester,  England,  and  Westmoreland,  Virginia. 

225 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 


Also  in  1G84.  Rev.  John  Lawrence,  of  Lower  Norfolk 
County,  Virginia,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  left  six  tene- 
ments in  the  parish  of  St.  Giles-in-the-Fields,  London. 

In  1G05  John  Xevvton,  of  Westmoreland,  bequeathed 
lands  at  Carlton  and  Camelsforth,  in  Yorkshire,  and  a 
house  in  Hull  "  which  was  my  father's." 

In  1696  Charles  Lif^^htfoot,  of  London,  left  fifty  pounds 
to  his  sister,  P^rances  Lightfoot,  in  Virginia,  "  if  she  ever 
come  to  England  and  demands  it,  not  else." 

In  1708  William  Brent,  of  Stafford  County,  went  to 
England  to  recover  the  two  estates  of  "  Stoke "  and 
"  Admington  "  to  which  he  had  fallen  heir  by  the  dying 
out  of  the  elder  branch  of  his  family.^ 

In  1713  Edmund  Jenings  resigned  the  office  of  Secre- 
tary of  State  of  Virginia,  and  went  to  England  to  claim 
an  estate  which  fell  to  him  on  the  death  of  his  elder  brother. 

In  1726  Richard  Walker,  of  ^Middlesex  County,  Vir- 
ginia, bequeathed  his  brothers  John,  Thomas,  and  Edward 
Walker,  at  Ashbourne,  in  Derbyshire,  and  his  sister  Jane 
Locket,  in  Staffordshire,  twenty  pounds  each  for  "  a  suit 
of  mourning." 

In  1742  I^eonard  Yeo,  of  Elizal)eth  City  County,  Vir- 
ginia, left  his  cousin  George  Arnold,  merchant,  of  London, 
certain  tenements  in  the  borough  of  Hatherly  "  and  the 
plate  I  brought  from  P'.ngland." 

In  1750  ISIrs.  Elizabeth  Cary,  of  Chesterfield  County, 
Virginia,  left  two  hundred  pounds  sterling  to  "  John 
Brickenhead,  peruke-maker  in  Old  Street,  near  St.  Luke's 
Church,  London." 

In  1753  John  Chichester,  of  I^ancaster  County,  left 
his  wife  five  hundred  pounds  out  of  his  estate  in  England, 

*  Va.  Mag.  of  Hist,  and  Blog.,  xii,  442. 

M6 


AUSTIN  BROCKENBROUGH 


VIRGINIA  AND  ENGLAND 


and  all  of  his  estate  in  England  "  besides,"  to  his  brother, 
Richard  Chichester. 

The  intimacy  between  England  and  the  Mother  Coun- 
try is  sometimes  illustrated  by  tombs  in  old  English 
churches,  like  that  at  St.  Mary's,  Bedfont,  erected  by 
Colonel  John  Page,  of  Williamsburg,  in  memory  of  his 
father,  who  died  in  1678.  Other  memorials  are  to  natives 
of  Virginia  who  died  in  England,  like  the  tomb  of  Robert 
Porteus,  at  Ripon  Cathedral. 

In  1703  Thomas  Matthew,  of  "  Cherry  Point,"  North- 
umberland County,  Virginia,  directed  in  his  will: 

"  If  I  die  in  or  about  London  to  be  buried  as  near  as 
possible  to  my  son  William,  in  the  Church  of  St.  Dunstan- 
in-the-East." 

In  the  Church  of  Little  Paxton,  Huntingdonshire, 
England,  is  the  tomb  of  Robert  Throckmorton,  Esq.,  who 
died  in  1699,  with  an  inscription  which  says  that  he  was 
born  in  Virginia.  In  1767  another  of  this  family,  Robert 
Throckmorton,  of  "  Hail  Western,"  Huntingdonshire,  be- 
queathed the  larger  portion  of  his  estate,  valued  at  eight 
thousand  pounds,  to  his  distant  kinsman,  John  Throck- 
morton, of  Gloucester,  Virginia,  who  went  to  England  and 
secured  it. 

The  Virginia  colonist  frequently  made  bequests  to  the 
poor  of  his  birthplace  or  of  his  early  and  tenderly  remem- 
bered home  in  England.  In  1655  John  Moon,  of  Isle  of 
Wight  County,  left  five  pounds  to  the  poor  of  Berry,  and 
the  same  amount  to  the  poor  of  Alverstock,  in  Hampshire, 
England,  where  he  had  lands,  and  in  1674  Captain  Philip 
Chesley,  of  "  Queen's  Creek,"  York  County,  left  to  every 
person  whose  name  was  Chesley  "  inhabiting  in  Welford, 
in  Gloucester  " — which  was  probably  his  birthplace — "  each 
one  hogshead  of  tobacco." 

2S7 


COLONIAL  VIRGINM,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

In  1762  James  Deans,  of  Chesterfield  County,  Vir- 
ginia, bequeathed  two  hundred  pounds  to  "  the  Infirmary  " 
of  Aberdeen,  Scotland. 

In  view  of  the  many  close  ties  between  Virginia  and 
England  it  is  surprising  that  so  few  members  of  prominent 
families  of  the  colony  took  the  side  of  the  Mother  Country 
during  the  Revolution.  Ajnong  those  who  did  were  John 
Randolph — the  last  royal  Attorney  General — John  Ran- 
dolph Grymes,  Austin  Brockenbrough — who  had  been  an 
officer  under  Washington  in  the  French  and  Indian  War — 
Richard  Corbin — the  last  Receiver  General — and  Ralph 
Wormelev. 


VIII 
THE  THEATRE 


HEATRE-GOING  is  so  peculiarly 
a  diversion  of  city  folk  that  it  seems 
strange  that  the  first  play  known  to 
have  been  presented  on  an  American 
staffe  was  acted  before  an  audience 
of  farmers  in  a  remote  country 
neighborhood. 
In  far  Accomac,  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia,  and 
on  the  27th  day  of  August,  1665 — seventy-five  years  before 
there  is  any  record  of  a  dramatic  entertainment  in  New 
York — "  a  play  commonlj^  called  ye  Beare  &  ye  Cubb  " 
was  performed,  with  Cornelius  Watkinson,  Philip  Howard, 
and  William  Darby  as  the  principal,  possibly  the  only, 
actors.  Either  the  Puritans  or  the  serious-minded  fol- 
lowers of  William  Penn  might  have  been  expected  to  shake 
their  heads  over  the  introduction  of  this  unseemly  amuse- 
ment, and  even  in  merrier  Virginia  one  Edward  Martin  felt 
himself  in  duty  bound  to  inform  the  King's  attorney,  Mr. 
John  Fawsett,  of  the  matter.  The  three  actors  named 
were  summoned  to  court  on  "  ye  16th  of  November,"  and 
each  in  turn  put  through  a  rigid  cross-examination  and 
ordered  to  appear  at  the  December  com't,  "  in  the  habili- 
ments they  had  acted  in,  and  give  a  draught  of  such  verses 
or  other  speeches  and  passages  which  were  then  acted  by 
them." 

And  so  "  Ye  Beare  and  ye  Cubb  "  was  presented  a 
second  time  in  Accomac  County,  with  "  ye  honorable 
court  "  and — we  may  depend — as  many  others  as  the  room 
would  hold,  as  spectators.  The  court  finding  the  actors 
"  not  guilty  of  fault,  suspended  ye  payment  of  Court 

229 


COLONIAL  VIRGL\L\,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOISIS 

charges ;  &  forasmuch  as  it  appeareth  upon  Ye  Oath  of  ye 
said  Mr.  Fawsett,  that  upon  ye  said  Martin's  information, 
ye  Charge  and  trouble  of  that  suit  did  accrew,  It's  there- 
fore ordered  that  ye  said  Edward  Martin  pay  all  ye 
Charges  in  ye  suit."  ^ 

Whether,  in  spite  of  their  acquittal,  the  experience  of 
these  three  gave  play-acting  in  Virginia  a  check  which  was 
felt  for  nearly  half  a  century,  or  performances  were  given 
of  which  there  is  no  record,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  Dra- 
matic entertainments  would  hardly  have  been  discouraged 
by  Sir  William  Berkeley,  the  Cavalier  Governor,  for  he 
not  only  delighted  in  them  when  he  was  in  London,  but 
was  himself  an  author  of  plays.  It  is  only  known  that  the 
next  mention  of  a  performance  of  a  theatrical  character 
was  in  1702,  when  the  students  of  William  and  Mary  Col- 
lege gave  "  A  Pastoral  Colloquy  "  before  the  Governor* — 
whether  at  the  college  or  the  "  palace  "  does  not  appear. 

In  the  year  1716  residents  in  the  colonial  capital  saw 
erected  the  first  playhouse  in  Virginia  and  in  America, 

"  William  Levingston,  merchant,"  had  for  some  time 
conducted  a  dancing  school  in  New  Kent  County.  His 
star  pupils,  Charles  Stagg  and  his  wife,  Mary,  evidently 
developed  ability  to  do  more  than  dance,  for  under  contract 
recorded  at  Yorktown,  July  11, 1716,  the  merchant  agreed 
with  this  couple,  as  "  actors,"  to  build  a  theatre  in  Williams- 
burg, and  to  provide  players  and  scenery  and  nuisic  out  of 
Kngland,  "  for  the  enacting  of  comedies  and  tragedies." 
On  November  21  he  bought  ground  in  Williamsburg,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  church  and  the  courthouse,  and 

*  "Early  History  of  the  Eastern   Shore  of  Virginia,"  J.  C. 

Wise,  825,  826. 

2  "  WilliunKsluirg,"  I,.  G.  Tylor,  228. 

<30 


THE  THEATRE 


placed  upon  it  a  playhouse,  a  bowling-green,  and  a  dwelling 
house  and  garden.^ 

Governor  Spotswood,  in  a  letter  written  June  24  of  the 
next  year,  mentions  giving  a  public  entertainment  at  his 
house,  in  honor  of  the  King's  birthday,  and  adds  "  a  play 
was  acted  on  that  occasion."*  What  this  play  was  he  does 
not  say,  but  it  must  have  been  acted  by  the  Staggs  and 
others,  at  Levingston's  theatre. 

As  a  practical  enterprise,  it  seems  that  the  theatre  was 
not  successful,  for  in  1721  Levingston  mortgaged  the 
ground  on  which  it  stood  to  Dr.  Archibald  Blair  for  500 
years,  and  by  his  failure  to  meet  his  payments  Dr.  Blair 
secured  possession  of  the  property  two  years  later.^ 
Whether  or  not  the  performances  of  the  company  con- 
tinued does  not  appear.  Charles  Stagg  died  in  Williams- 
burg in  1735,  and  after  his  death  Mistress  Mary  Stagg,  the 
earliest  leading  lady  of  the  American  stage,  earned  her 
bread  and  butter  holding  "  dancing  assemblies  "  for  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen  of  Williamsburg — charging  a  hand- 
some admission  fee.*^ 

Mistress  Stagg,  her  dwelling  house  and  garden,  and 
the  playhouse  figured  interestingly  in  Mary  Johnston's 
novel,  "  Audrey,"  since  when  the  quaint  cottage  has  been 
pointed  out  as  "  Audrey's  house."  One  of  its  appealing 
features  is  a  window-pane  bearing  the  inscription — evi- 
dently written  with  a  diamond — "  Oh  fatal  day,"  and  the 
date  "  1790." 

Long  before  Miss  Johnston's  time,  John  Esten  Cooke 

8  "Williamsburg,"  L.  G.  Tyler,  224-226. 
*  Letters  of  Alexander  Spotswood,  ii,  284. 
^  "  Williamsburg,"  L.  G.  Tyler,  226. 
«  lb.,  225. 

281 


COLONIAL  MRGINIA,  11^  PEOPLE    .\ND    CUSTOMS 

found  in  the  colonial  theatre  the  theme  for  a  romance 
entitled  "  The  Virginia  Comedians." 

In  1735  and  1736  the  playhouse  was  used  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent  by  amateurs.  "  The  Busy  Body  "  had  been 
a  fashionable  play  in  London  since  its  presentation  for  the 
first  time,  in  1709,  with  Anne  Oldfield  as  "  Isabinda,"  the 
leading  character,  and  a  letter  from  Col.  William  Byrd, 
of  "  Westover,"  to  Sir  John  Randolph,  in  Williamsburg, 
written  January  21,  1735,  bears  witness  that  it  was  being 
acted  there." 

"  Which  of  your  actors,"  asks  the  Colonel,  "  sho^vn 
most  in  the  play,  next  Isabinda,  who  I  take  it  for  granted 
is  the  Oldfield  of  the  theatre? 

"  How  came  Squire  Marplot  off?  With  many  a  clap, 
I  suppose,  though  I  fancy  he  would  have  acted  more  to 
the  life  in  the  comedy  called  the  Sham  Doctor.  But  not 
a  word  of  this  for  fear  in  case  of  sickness  he  might  poison 

you." 

The  part  of  "  Marplot "  was  evidently  taken  by  Sir 
John's  physician,  at  whom  Colonel  Byrd  takes  occasion  to 
have  a  playful  fling. 

The  time-yellowed  Virginia  Gazette  for  September  10, 
1736,  contains  this  advertisement: 

This  evening  will  be  performed  at  the  Theatre,  by  the  Young 
Gentlemen  of  the  College,  The  Tragcdi/  of  Cato. 

And  on  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Frichiy  next  will  be  acted  the 
foUowing  Comedies,  by  the  Gentlemen  and  Ladies  of  this  Country, 
viz.  The  Busy  Body,  The  Recruiting  Officer,  and  the  Beaux  Strat- 
egem. 

Under  date  September  17  the  Gazette  for  the  same 
year  announces : 

'  Va.  ^lag.  Hist.  Biog.,  240,  241. 


THE  THEATRE 


"  Next  Monda}^  night  will  be  performed  the  Drummer; 
or  The  Hamited  House,  by  the  Yomig  Gentlemen  of  the 
College." 

Out  of  these  performances  and  the  atmosphere  of  merri- 
ment which  they  created  grew  one  of  the  earliest  newspaper 
"personals"  on  record.  It  appeared  as  an  "advertisement" 
in  the  Gazette  of  October  22,  and  was  evidently  intended 
as  a  joke  on  one  of  the  town  beaux: 

"  Whereas  a  Gentleman  who  towards  the  latter  end  of 
Summer  usually  wore  a  Blue  Camlet  coat  lined  with  Red 
and  trimmed  with  Silver,  a  silver  laced  hat  and  a  Turpee 
wig,  has  often  been  observed  by  his  Amoret  to  look  very 
languishingly  at  her,  the  said  Amoret,  and  particularly 
one  night  during  the  last  session  of  Assembly,  at  the 
Theatre,  the  said  gentleman  ogled  her  in  such  manner  as 
shewed  him  to  be  \QTy  far  gone,  the  said  Amoret  desires  the 
Gentleman  to  take  the  first  opportunity  that  offers  to  ex- 
plain himself  on  that  subject. 

"  N.  B.     She  believes  he  has  very  pretty  teeth." 

Interest  in  these  amateur  theatricals  is  shown  by  a  con- 
temporary letter.  Colonel  Thomas  Jones,  writing  on  Sep- 
tember 17,  1736,  to  his  wife  in  the  country,  sends  this 
message  to  his  step-daughter: 

"  You  may  tell  Betty  Pratt  there  has  been  but  two 
Plays  acted  since  she  went,  which  is  Cato  by  the  Young 
Gent'n  of  the  College  as  they  call  themselves,  and  the  Busy 
body  by  the  Company  on  Wednesday  Night  last,  and  I 
believe  there  will  be  another  to  Night,  they  have  been  at 
a  great  loss  for  a  fine  Lady  who  I  think  is  to  be  called 
Dorinda,  but  that  difficulty  is  overcome  by  finding  her, 
whicli  was  to  be  the  greatest  Secret  and  as  such  'tis  said 
to  be  ^liss  Anderson  that  came  to  Town  with  Mrs.  Carter." 

233 


COLONIAL  MRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND    CUSTOMS 

Some  time  after  Stagg's  death  the  playhouse,  which 
was  not  then  being  used,  was  bought  by  thirty-one  promi- 
nent men  of  the  colony  and  presented  to  Williamsburg 
as  a  town  hall.'*  And  thus  ended  the  history,  as  a  theatre, 
of  the  first  theatre  in  America. 

Six  years  later  Williamsburg  was  given  at  once  a  new 
playhouse  and  an  opportunity  to  enjoy  Shakespearean 
drama.  During  the  year  1750  a  theatrical  troupe  known 
as  the  "  Kean  and  ^lurray  Company  "  was  acting  in  New 
York,"  and  one  of  the  roles  of  Thomas  Kean,  its  leading 
man,  was  that  of  Richard  III.  Whether  or  not  he  was 
of  the  family  of  that  great  interpreter  of  Shakespeare  of  a 
later  day,  Edmund  Kean,  is  not  known,  but  the  connection 
of  the  name  with  the  colonial  theatre  is  interesting.  In  the 
Virginia  Gazette  of  August  29,  1751,  may  be  seen  the 
following  announcement: 

"  By  permission  of  his  Honour  the  President  [of  the 
Council,  who  was  acting  Governor],  Whereas  the  Com- 
pany of  Comedians  that  are  in  New  York  intend  perform- 
ing in  this  City;  but  there  being  no  Room  suitable  for  a 
Play  House,  'tis  propos'd  that  a  Theatre  shall  be  built 
by  way  of  Subscription;  each  Subscriber  advancing  a  Pis- 
tole '"  to  be  entitled  to  a  Box  Ticket  for  the  first  Night's 
Diversion. 

"  Those  Gentlemen  and  Ladies  who  are  kind  enough  to 
favour  this  Undertaking  are  desired  to  send  their  Sub- 
scription Money  to  Mr.  Finnie's,  at  the  Raleigh,  where 
Tickets  may  be  had. 

"  N.  B.  The  House  to  be  completed  by  October 
Court." 

«  "  Williaiiusbiirg,"  L.  G.  Tyler,  226. 
•  Ih.,  228. 

^°  A  Spanisli  coin  in  use  in  the  Colony  and  worth  about  $3.80. 

234 


'    By  peimiffion   uf  ihe  Wo.fhipful  the  Mayor  of  UWmmJburg, 
At  the  old  Theatre,  rear  the  Capitol, 
By  the  Virginia  Company  of  Comedians, 
'    6n  Friday  the   8th  of  April  W\\\  be  prefented  a  TRAGEDY 
CALLED  * 

Venice     Prefer  ved, 

O  R    A  ' 

Plot  Difcovered. 


DUKE. 

—       ^     Mr.  Charlton. 

PRIULf, 

1       r     Mr.  Bromadgf. 

JAFFEIR, 

1       1     Mr.  Godwin. 

PIERRE, 

>by^     Mr.  Verlinc. 

BEDAMAR, 

V       1     Mr.  Bromadge, 

RENAULT, 

J      (_    Mr.  Parker. 

ELIOT, 

Mr.  Walker 

BELVIDERA,  by  Mrs.  Osborne. 
To  which  will  be  added  a  ballad  OPERA,  called 

Damon  and  Phillida* 


"J      r  Mr.  Bromadge 

I       \  Mr.  Godwin. 

Vby^  Mrs.  Osborne. 

I       j  Ml.  Parker. 

J      L  Mr.  Verhng. 


ARCAS,  "^      c     Mr.  Bromadge. 

CORYDON, 

DAMON, 

CVMON, 

MOPSUS, 

PHILLIDA,  by  Mrs.  Parker. 

Tickets  to  V>e  had  of  Mr.Jf''iHi.'jm  RuJJfll,  ar  his  ftorc  next  doot 
to  the  Poft  Office,  and  at  the  door  ot  the  Thtatic. 

The  doors  to  be  opened  at  fix,    and  the  play  to  begin  at  fcven 
o'clock  precifely. 

B0XES7S.  6d.    Pit  53.     Gali  fry  3s.  9d. 

rivn'it  Rex  S"  Feqirn. 
ii,  B«    No  perfon  whatever  can  be  admitted  behind  the  fceiieJ* 

ADVERTISEMENT  OF  THK  WILLIAMSBURG  THEATRE 
From  the  Virginia  Gazette 


THE  THEATRE 


A  site  just  back  of  the  Capitol  building  was  selected, 
and  the  promoters  made  good  their  word  to  have  the  house 
ready  by  the  October  Court,  when  doubtless  the  town  and 
the  visitors  who  thronged  it  at  that  time  gave  the  players 
generous  patronage.     Says  the  Gazette  of  October  21 : 

"  On  Monday  a  company  of  Comedians  opened  at  the 
New  Theatre  near  the  Capitol,  in  Williamsburg  with  King 
Richard  III  and  a  tragic  dance  composed  by  Monsieur 
Denoier,  called  the  Royal  Captive." 

From  the  same  paper  for  December  19,  of  the  same 
year  1751,  we  learn  that — 

"  The  Company  of  Comedians  intend  to  be  at  Peters- 
burg by  the  middle  of  next  month  and  hope  that  the  Gentle- 
men and  Ladies  who  are  Lovers  of  Theatrical  Entertain- 
ment will  favour  them  with  their  Company." 

Later  they  went  to  Norfolk  and  in  the  spring  were 
back  in  the  gay  little  capital,  as  may  be  seen  from  the 
following  advertisement  from  the  Gazette  of  April  17, 
1752: 

By  Permission  of  His  Honour  the  Governor, 
At  the  New  Theatre  in  Williamsburg, 

For  the  Benefit  of  Mrs.  Beccely, 

On  Friday,  being  the  24th  of  this  Inst, 

Will  be  performed  a  Comedy,  called  the 

Constant  Couple ; 

or  a 

Trip  to  the  Jubilee. 

The  Part  of  Sir  Harry  Wildair  to  be  performed 

By  Mr.  Kean. 

Colonel  Standard 

By  Mr.  Murray 

And  the  Part  of  Angelica  to  be  perform'd 

By  Mrs.  Beccely. 

With  Entertainment  of  Singing  between  the  Acts. 

235 


COLOMiNX  MRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND    CUSTOMS- 

i 

Likewise  a  Djuice,  called  the  Drunken  Peasant. 

To  which  will  be  added  a  Farce,  called  the 

Lying  ^'alet. 

Tickets  to  be  had  at  Mrs.  Vobe's,  and  at  Mr.  Mitchel's,  in  York.i 

They  played  at  Hobb's  Hole,  as  Tappahannock  was* 
then  called,  from  ^lay  10  to  24,  and  in  Fredericksburgi 
during  the  "June  Fair,"  which  seems  to  have  been  their' 
last  appearance  in  the  colony.  Their  eight  months" 
stay  liad  created  much  gayety  and  doubtless  given  great 
pleasure. 

But  Virginians  were  not  long  to  be  deprived  of  the/ 
form  of  entertainment  for  which  they  had  acquired  so  keenji 
a  relish.  When  they  opened  their  Gazettes  on  June  12,," 
1752,  their  eyes  were  gladdened  by  this  delightful  an-^ 
nouncement : 

"  This  is  to  inform  the  Public  that  Mr.  Ilallam,  fromi 
the  New  Theatre  in  Goodmanstield,  London,  is  daily; 
expected  here  with  a  select  Company  of  Comedians;  the: 
Scenes,  Cloaths,  and  Decorations  are  entirely  new,  ex-- 
tremely  rich,  and  finished  in  the  higliest  Taste,  the  Scenes 5 
being  painted  by  the  best  Hands  in  London,  are  excell'dl 
by  none  in  Beauty  and  Elegance,  so  that  the  Ladies  andl 
Gentlemen  may  depend  on  being  entertain'd  in  as  politei 
a  Manner  as  at  the  Theatres  in  London,  the  Company  being j 
perfect  in  all  the  best  Flays,  Operas,  Farces  and  Panto-- 
mimes  that  have  been  exhibited  in  any  of  the  Theatres  fori 
these  ten  years  past."  , 

On  August  21  of  the  same  year  the  Gazette's  readers*, 
were  informed  that  the  Company  lately  from  London  hadl 
altered  the  Playhouse  to  a  "  regular  theatre,  fit  for  the: 
reception  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  and  the  execution  of  their r 
own  performance  "  and  would  open  on  the  first  Friday. 
in  September  with  '*  a  play  called  the  Merchant  of  Venice,  > 

236 


THE  THEATRE 


written  by  Shakespeare."  Ladies  engaging  seats  in  the 
boxes  were  advised  to  send  their  servants  early  on  the  day 
of  the  performance  to  hold  them  and  "  prevent  trouble  and 
disappointment." 

On  August  28  appeared  the  following  advertisement, 
giving  the  complete  cast  of  the  play : 

By  Permission  of  the  Hon.  Robert  Dinwiddie,  Esq.,  His 
Majesty's  Lieutenant  Governor,  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  the 
Colony  and  Dominion  of  Virginia. 

By  a  Company  of  Comedians  from  London, 

At  the  Theatre  in  Williamsburg, 

On  Friday  next,  being  the  15th  of  September,  will  be  presented 

A  Play,  Call'd, 

The 

Merchant  of  Venice, 

(Written  by  Shakespear.) 

The  Part  of  Antonio  (the  Merchant)  to  be  perform'd  by 

Mr.   Clarkson. 

Gratiano  by  Mr.  Singleton. 

Lorenzo  (with  songs  in  character)  by  Mr.  Adcock, 

The  Part  of  Bassanio  to  be  perform'd  by 

Mr.  Rigby. 

Duke,  by  Mr,  Wynell. 

Salanio,  by  Mr.  Herbert. 

The  Part  of  Launcelot  by  Mr.  Hallam. 

And  the  Part  of  Shylock  (the  Jew)  to  be  perform'd  by 

Mr.  Malone. 

The  Part  of  Nerissa,  by  Mrs.  Adcock, 

Jessica,  by  Mrs.  Rigby. 

And  the  Part  of  Portia  to  be  perform'd  by 

Mrs.  Hallam. 

With  a  new  occasional  Prologue. 

To  which  will  be  added  a  Farce,  call'd 

The  Anatomist. 

or. 
Sham  .Doctor. 
16  2S7 


11^ 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND    CUSTOMS 

The  Part  of  Monsieur  le  Medecin  by 

Mr.  Rigby, 

And  the  Part  of  Beatrice,  by  Mrs.  Adcock. 

No  Person  whatsoever  to  be  admitted  behind  the  Scenes. 

Boxes,  7s.  6d.     Pit  and  Balconies,  5s.  9d.     Gallery,  3s.  9d. 

To  begin  at  Six  o'Clock  Vivat  Rex. 

The  Gazette  of  September  22  reported  that  the  drama 
and  the  farce  were  "  performed  before  a  numerous  and 
polite  audience,  with  great  applause."  The  "  new  occa- 
sional prologue  "  had  been  composed  on  shipboard  by 
Mr.  Singleton,  who  played  the  part  of  '*  Gratiano,"  and 
was  spoken  by  JMr.  Rigby,  the  "  Bassanio."  In  it,  after 
a  long  preamble,  the  Muse  is  described  as  sending  the 
actors  to  Virginia  to  increase  her  fame: 

Haste  to  Virginia's  plains,  my  Sons,  repair, 
The  Goddess  said.  Go,  confident  to  find 
An  Audience  sensible,  polite  and  kind. 
We  heard  and  strait  obey'd;  from  Britain's  Shore 
These  unknown  Climes  advent'ring  to  explore: 
For  us  then,  and  our  Muse  thus  low  I  bend. 
Nor  fear  to  find  in  each  the  wannest   Friend; 
Each  smiling  Aspect  dissipates  our  Fear, 
We  ne'er  can  fail  of  kind  Protection  here; 
The  Stage  is  ever  Wisdom's  Fav'ritc  Care: 
Accept  our  Labours  then,  approve  our  Pains, 
Your  smiles  will  please  us  ecjual   to  our  Gains; 
And  as  you  all  esteem  the  Darling  Muse, 
The  generous  Plaudit  you  will  not  refuse. 
On  the  ninth  of  November  **  the  emperor  of  the  Chero- 
kee nation,  with  his  Kmj)ress  and  their  son,  the  young 
prince,  attended  by  several  of  his  warriors  and  great  men," 
were  received  at  the  "palace  "  by  his  honor  Governor  Din- 
widdie,  "  attended  by  such  of  the  Council  as  were  in  town," 
and  were  "  that  evening  entertained  at  the  theatre."    The 
play  was  "  Othello,"  and  it  gave  the  Indians  "great  sur- 


THE  THEATRE 


prise,  as  did  the  fighting  with  naked  swords  on  the  stage, 
which  occasioned  the  Empress  to  order  some  about  her  to 
go  and  prevent  their  kilhng  one  another."  ^^ 

On  the  next  day  Governor  Dinwiddie  celebrated  the 
King's  birthday  with  a  splendid  entertainment  at  the 
palace.  A  great  company  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the 
Indian  guests,  and  the  actors  were  all  present,  and  Mr. 
Hallam  was  given  charge  of  a  display  of  fireworks  in  the 
street  in  front  of  the  palace.^- 

The  Virginians  were  fortunate  in  having  so  excellent 
a  company  to  entertain  them.  Lewis  Hallam  and  his  wife 
were  good  performers,  and  Mrs.  Hallam  was,  besides,  a 
beautiful  and  graceful  woman,  while  Rigby  and  Malone 
were  actors  of  established  reputation  in  London.  ^^  The 
troupe  remained  in  Virginia,  playing  with  "  universal 
applause,"  for  nine  months,  and  when  in  the  summer  of 
1753  they  left  for  New  York,  Governor  Dinwiddie  gave 
them  a  letter  endorsing  their  ability  as  actors  and  their 
personal  conduct.  ^^ 

For  some  years  after  the  departure  of  the  Hallam  com- 
pany there  is  little  definite  information  in  regard  to  plays 
and  players  in  Virginia,  for  there  are  no  files  of  Virginia 
newspapers  in  existence  between  1752  and  1766,  but  it  is  not 
likely  that  the  dramatic  muse  suffered  herself  to  be  for- 
gotten in  the  colony. 

In  May,  1767,  Addison's  "  Cato  "  was  played  by  the 
**  young  gentlemen  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Warrington's 
school,  in  Hampton,"  and  an  "  Epilogue  "  in  two  parts, 
written  for  the  occasion,  was   spoken  by  his  daughter, 

^1  "  Williamsburg,"  L.  G.  Tyler,  230. 
^2  lb.,  230. 

"  Daly's  "  First  Theatre  in  America  "  (Dunlap  Soc),  13. 
^*  "  History  of  the  American  Theatre,"  Seilhamer,  45. 

239 


COLONIAL  MRGLMA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

Camilla  Warrington.    The  first  part  refers  to  the  play  and 
the  second  to  the  performers,  as  follows : 

Now  for  our  actors — little  folks  wc  are, 

Who  in  a  vast  attempt  too  greatly  dare: 

We  strive  to  be  in  air,  in  gait,  in  looks. 

Statesmen  and  Princes — whom  we've  seen  in  books. 

If  here  we  fail   forgive,   and  be  content, 

With  thought  and  diction  by  the  author  lent. 

These  are  the  substance  and  without  the  Show 

Aid  lower  life,  as  I  already  know: 

For  I,  in  exercising  smiles  and  frowns. 

To  gain  my  Prince,  have  scarce  a  thought  of  crowns ; 

But  hope  to  make  the  better  wife,  when  I 

Obtain  my  princely  Colonel  by  and  by. 

In  one  petition  join  our  fairv  band. 

Let  love   and   patriot   ardor   bless   the  land. 

If  nothing  please  you  else,  you'll  clap  the  zeal 

Of  brats  who  pant  to  serve  the  common  weal; 

Each  in  th'  allotted  useful  occupation. 

When  genius,  time,  and  fortune  point  the  station.*^ 

This  is  the  first  admission  on  record  of  the  dream  of 
every  daughter  of  the  Old  Dominion  to  become  the  bride 
of  a  Virginia  colonel  "  by  and  by." 

In  Januaiy,  1708,  a  troupe  known  as  "  The  Virginia 
Company  of  Comedians  "  was  playing  in  Norfolk,  in  a 
frame  structure  originally  built  for  a  pottery."'  The  Vir- 
ginia Gazette  for  February  4,  of  that  year,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing prologue,  "  Spoken  by  ^Nlrs.  Osborne  at  Norfolk, 
on  her  benefit  night,  Tuesday,  the  19th  of  Januar}":" 

With  doubts — joy — apprehension — almost  dumb. 
Fearful — yet  pleased — with  tremhVing  steps  I  come. 
No  florid  speech  to  make,  but  just  to  own. 
The  Countless  favors  you  to  me  have  shown. 

"  Gazette,  May  21,  1767. 

"  "  Lower  Norfolk  Co.  Va.  Antiquary,"  ii,  102. 

210 


MRS.  LEWIS  HALLAM,  SR. 

As  "Daraxa"  in  "Edward  and  Elenora" 


THE  THEATRE 


I'm  told  (what  flattery  to  my  heart!)  that  some 
For  Osborne's  sake  alone  this  night  have  come; 
And  yet,  so  poor  am  I,  so  much  I  owe, 
I  have  but  thanks  to  give — to  you — and  you. 
In  spite  of  better  hopes,  by  fate  decreed, 
For  ten  long  years  this  motley  life  I've  led; 
And  felt  (as  rapidly  thro'  life  I've  whirl'd) 
All  changes  of  this  April-weather  world ! 
One  day  have  gaily  basked  in  sunshine  warm, 
The  next  have  shivered  underneath  a  storm; 
Yet  though  thus  doomed  perpetually  to  roam, 
Still  when  in  Norfolk  thought  myself  at  home; 
And  xcisWd,  yes,  often  zcish'd,  but  oh!  in  vain, 
With  such  dear  friends,  I  ever  might  remain. 
But  fate  decrees  I  no  such  bliss  shall  know, 
Still  bids  me  wander,  and  resigned  I  go. 
For  you,  ye  generous  souls  I  whom  here  I  leave, 
May  every  bliss  be  3'ours,  this  would  I  give  I 
And  should  kind  Heaven  indulgent  to  my  prayer, 
Once  more  restore  me  to  my  good  friends  here, 
Oh  may  I  find  you  all,  some  few  years  hence, 
Still  blest  with  health,  and  peace,  and  competence. 

This  year,  1768,  was  an  especially  brilliant  one  socially 
in  the  colonial  capital.  The  Governor  held  stately  recep- 
tions to  which  flocked  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  court 
apparel;  there  was  no  end  of  music,  dancing,  and  private 
entertaining,  and  there  was  a  two  months'  theatrical  sea- 
son. The  actors  were  "  The  Virginia  Company  of  Come- 
dians," and  the  old  Gazettes  give  us  their  names,  the  plays 
they  presented,  and  the  parts  they  played.  The  performance 
began  sometimes  at  six,  sometimes  at  seven  o'clock,  and 
must  have  lasted  to  a  late  hour,  for  the  audience  of  that  day 
was  not  satisfied  with  one  play,  but  expected,  even  at  the 
end  of  a  long  Shakespearean  tragedy,  an  afterpiece  in  the 
way  of  a  farce  or  pantomime,  or  elaborate  dances,  and 
sometimes  dancing  and  singing  between  the  acts. 

241 


COLONIAL  \TRGINIA,  ITS   PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

Mrs.  Osborne  seems  to  have  been  the  bright,  particular 
star  of  the  company,  and  played  both  male  and  female 
roles.  Other  stars  were  ^Ir.  and  ^Irs.  Parker  and  Mr. 
Godwin,  who  was  the  principal  comic  actor  and  an  accom- 
plished dancer.  Mr.  Parker  was  a  singer,  and  others  who 
danced  as  well  as  acted  were  Miss  Yapp,  Mr.  Walker, 
Mr.  Bromadge,  and  Mr.  Charlton. 

In  the  advertisements  in  the  Gazette  for  this  year  the 
new  theatre  near  the  Capitol,  built  in  1751  for  the  "  Kean 
and  Murray  Company  "  and  improved  in  the  year  follow- 
ing by  the  Ilallam  troupe,  has  become  "  the  old  theatre." 
On  April  14,  "  By  permission  of  the  Worshipful,  the 
Mayor  of  Williamsburg,"  the  "  Comedians  "  gave  "  The 
Orphan,"  one  of  the  favorite  plays  of  the  day,  followed  by 
'*  a  new  comic  dance  called  The  Bedlamites,"  at  "  the  old 
Theatre,  near  the  Capitol." 

A  slightly  mutilated  advertisement  in  the  Gazette  of 
May  12  announces  a  benefit  niglit,  probably  in  honor  of 
Mrs.  Osborne.  Congreve's  "  The  Constant  Couple  "  was 
the  principal  feature  of  this  performance,  but  in  addition 
there  were  so  many  song  and  dance  acts  that  the  advertise- 
ment suggests  a  modern  vaudeville : 

By   Periiiission 

Of  the  Worshipful  the  Mayor  of 

Williiiinsburg, 

At  the  old  Theatre,  near  the  Capitol 

By  tlie  Virginia  Comjmny  of 

Comedians, 

For  tlio  Benefit  of 

On  Wedneschiy 

Will  be  presented 

A    COMKDV    Ca  T.I.ED 

The  Constant  Couple 
Oa 
242 


THE  THEATRE 


A  Trip  to  the  Jubilee 

SiE  Harey  Wildaie  Mes.  Osboene 

Colonel  Standard  

Vizard  

Alderman  Smuggler  

Beau  Clincher  

Clincher,  junior  

Dicky  Mr.  Farrell 

Tom  Errand  Mr.  Walker 


Lady  Darling  Mrs.   Dowthaitt 

Angelica,  Miss    Dowthaitt 

Parley,  Miss  Yapp 

Lady  Lueewell,  by  Mes.  Paekee. 
Between  the  first  and  second  Act  a  Pro 
Logue,  in  the  Character  of  a  Countey 
Boy,  by  Me.  Paekee. 
After  the  Second  Act,  a  Dance,  called 
The  Coopees,  by  Mr.  Godwin,  Mess 
Bromadge,  Walker,  &c. 
After  the  third  Act  a  Cantata,  sung  by 

Mr.  Paekee. 

And  in  the  fifth  Act,  a  Minuet,  by  Miss 

Yapp,  and  Mrs.  Osborne,  in  the  Character  of  Sir  Harry  Wildair. 

After  the  PLAY,  a  HORNPIPE,  by  Mr. 

Godwin. 


To  which  will  be  added 
A  Faece,  called 
The  Miller  of  Mansfield. 
King  Mr.  Verling. 

Miller  Mr.  Parker. 

Lord  Lurwell  Mr.  Godwin. 

First  Courtier  Mrs.  Osbonie 

Second  Courtier  .Mr.   Charlton 

Joe  Mr.  Farrell. 

S48 


COLONIAL  \TRGL\IA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

Madge  Mrs.    Dowthaitt 

Kate  Miss   Dowthaitt 

^^SSy  Mrs.  Parker 


Keepers,  Mess.  Walker,  Farrell,  &c. 

Tickets  to  be  had  of  Mrs.   Osborne,   at 

Mrs.  Rathell's  Store,  and  at  the  Door 

of  the  Theatre. 

Boxes  7s.  6— Pit  5s.     Gallery  3s.  9. 

Vivant  Rex  &  Regina. 

To  begin  at  7  o'clock. 

On  June  .3  tlie  Company  played  "  The  Beggar's 
Opera  "  and  ''  The  Anatomist,  or  Sham  Doctor,"  for  the 
benefit  of  Mrs.  Parker. 

In  the  spring  of  1771  the  Hallams  were  back  in  Wil- 
liamsburg, as  members  of  "  The  xVmerican  Company  of 
Comedians,"  organized  and  managed  by  an  actor  named 
David  Douglas.  ^Nlr.  Ilallam  had  died  and  Mrs.  Hallani 
had  married  Douglas.  During  the  season  of  1752  in  \Vil- 
liams})urg  her  son  I^ewis,  then  a  boy  of  twelve  years,  had 
made  his  first  appearance  on  any  stage,  but  when  speaking 
his  single  line  had  been  seized  with  stage-fright,  burst  into 
tears,  and  rushed  out.^^  Now,  at  the  age  of  thirty-one,  he 
was  not  only  the  leading  man  of  the  company,  but  king 
of  the  American  stage,  and  his  cousin,  Sarah  Ilallam,  the 
leading  lady,  was  its  (pieen.  They  had  lately  ])layed  to 
enthusiastic  audiences  in  Annapolis,  where  the  fine  artist, 
Charles  Wilson  Peale,  had  painted  Miss  Ilallam's  portrait 
as  "  Imogen,"  in  **  Cymbeline,"  generally  pronounced  her 
l>cst  ])art.  and  tlie  iMaryland  poets  had  celebrated  her 
beauty  and  genius.'**     One  of  these  sings  as  follows: 


"  "  Williamsburg,"  L.  G.  Tyler,  229. 
'»  lb.,  231. 

244 


THE  THEATRE 


"  From  earliest  youth,  with  raptures  oft 

I've  turned  great   Shakespeare's   page; 
Pleased  when  he's  gay  and  soothed  when  soft 
Or  kindled  at  his  rage. 

"  Yet  not  till  now,  till  taught  by  thee, 
Conceived  I  half  his  power! 
I  read  admiring;  now  I  see 

I  only  now  adore. 

******* 

"  Methinks  I  see  his  smiling  shade 
And  hear  him  thus  proclaim, 
'  In  Western  worlds  to  this  fair  maid 
I  trust  my  spreading  fame! 
Long  have  my  scenes  each  British  heart 

With  warmest  transports  filled; 
Now  equal  praise,  by  Hallam's  art, 
America  shall  yield.'  "  ^^ 

On  April  19,  1771,  Col.  Hudson  Muse,  of  Middlesex 
County,  wrote  his  brother  in  Maryland  that  he  had  been 
in  Williamsburg  eleven  days  and  had  "  spent  the  time  very 
agreeably  at  the  plays  every  night."  He  pronounces  Miss 
Hallam  "  superfine,"  but  "  must  confess  her  lustre  was 
much  sullied  by  the  number  of  beauties  that  appeared  at 
that  court.  The  house  was  crowded  every  night  and  the 
gentlemen  who  have  generally  attended  that  place  agree 
there  was  treble  the  number  of  fine  ladies  that  was  ever 
seen  in  town  before — for  my  part  I  think  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  a  man  to  have  fixed  upon  a  partner  for  life,  the 
choice  was  too  general  to  have  fixed  on  one."  ^^ 

He  adds  that  he  hopes  to  make  another  visit  to  Wil- 
liamsburg, "  as  the  players  are  to  be  there  again." 

A  spinet  or  harpsichord  probably  did  duty  as  orchestra 

^®  "  History  of  the  American  Theatre,"  Seilhamer,  290. 
^®  William  and  Mary  Quarterly  Mag.,  ii,  241. 

245 


COLONIAL  MRGLMA,  ITS    PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

at  these  performances,  as  the  music  was  furnished  by  Mr. 
Peter  Pelham,  the  organist  of  old  Bruton  Church,  an 
accomplished  musician,  who  was — by  the  way — the  half- 
brother  of  the  famous  painter,  Copley. 

The  Diary  of  General  Washington  testifies  that  the 
theatre  was  a  favorite  diversion  of  that  august  gentleman. 
To  find  him,  after  busy  days  devoted  to  affairs  of  state, 
whiling  away  the  evening  hours  at  the  play,  doubtless  join- 
ing heartily  in  the  applause  of  the  acting  or  in  the  laughter 
at  the  whimsical  farces  and  dances,  and  often  going  with 
a  merry  party  to  a  ball  later  on,  is  to  turn  the  bronze 
statue  into  flesh  and  blood.  His  ledger  shows  many  entries 
of  expenses  for  "  play  tickets,"  at  Williamsburg,  Alex- 
andria, Fredericksburg,  Annapolis,  New  York — wherever 
he  happened  to  be.  Indeed,  so  partial  to  playgoing  was 
the  Father  of  his  Country  that  Mr.  Paul  Leicester  Ford 
has  written  an  elaborate  monograph  upon  the  subject. 

Here  are  some  fair  samples  of  the  exhibits  in  his 
Diary.-' 

On  May  2,  1771,  he  "set  out  with  Colo.  Bassett  for 
Williamsburg  and  reached  Town  about  12  O'clock — dined 
at  Mrs.  Dawson's  "-  &  went  to  the  Play."  On  the  following 
evening  he  "  Dined  at  the  Speaker's  and  went  to  the  Play — 
after  wch  Drank  a  Bowl  or  two  of  Punch  at  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell's." On  the  8th  he  "  Dined  at  Southall's  with  Colo. 
Robert  Fairfax  &  some  other  Gentlemen  &  went  to  the 
Play  &c." 

In  Septeml)er  of  the  same  year  the  players  were  in 
Annapolis,  and  Washington,  happening  to  have  business 

-'  Ford's  "  Wasliinfrton  and  the  Theatre,'*  19,  22. 

'--  Mrs.  Priscilld  Dawson  was  the  widow  of  Rev.  Thonms  Daw- 
son, D.D.,  and  a  sister  of  Washington's  brother-in-law,  Col.  Bur- 
Mell  Bassett. 

246 


I 


l.KWIS  HALI.A.M,  JR. 


A  GLIMPSE  INTO  THE  STAGGS'  HOUSE 


THE  THEATRE 


there,  saw  them  four  times  in  six  nights,  on  two  of  which 
he  went  to  a  ball  afterward.  In  the  following  month  he 
was  in  Williamsburg  again,  attending  the  session  of  the 
House  of  Burgesses,  and  thus  registers  his  Diary: 

"  Oct.  29.  Dined  at  the  Speaker's,  went  to  the  Play  in 
the  Afternoon. 
31.  Dined  at  the  Governor's,  went  to  the  Play. 
Nov.     1.  Dined  at  Mrs.  Dawson's — went  to  the  Fire- 
works in  the  afternoon  and  to  the  Play  at 
night. 
4.  Dined  with  the  Council  and  went  to  the 
Play  afterwards." 
U  In  1772,  just  before  the  "  American  Company  of  Come- 
dians "  left  Virginia  for  their  Northern  tour — and  for  the 
last  time — we  have  this  from  the  Diary : 

"Mar.  11.  Dined  at  the  Club  and  went  to  the  Play. 

17.  Dined  at  the  Club  and  went  to  the  Play  in 

the  afternoon. 
19.  Dined  at  Mrs.  Dawson's  &  went  to  the  Play 

in  the  evening. 
25.  Dined  at  Mrs.  Lewis  Burwell's  and  went 
to  the  Play. 
Apr.    3.  Dined  at  Mrs.  Campbell's  and  went  to  the 
Play — Then  to  Mrs.  Campbell's  again. 
7.  Dined  at  Mrs.  Campbell's  and  went  to  the 
Play." 
Among  dramas  not  already  mentioned  witnessed  by  the 
gentlemen  quoted  and  their  friends  in  the  autumn  of  1771 
were  "  West  Indian,"  "  Musical  Lady,"  "  King  Lear  "— 
announced  as  never  before  performed  in  Virginia — "  Every 
Man  in  his  Humor,"  "  Damon  and  Phillida,"  "  Jealous 
Wife,"  and  "  Padlock." 

It  seems  from  one  of  Washington's  letters  to  Mrs. 

247 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,   ITS   PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

George  William  Fairfax  that  he  occasionally  took  part  in 
amateur  theatricals.    He  writes:  \ 

"  I  should  think  our  time  more  agreeably  spent,  be- 
lieve me,  in  playing  a  part  in  Cato,  with  the  company  you 
mention  and  myself  doubly  happy  in  being  the  Juba  to 
such  a  Marcia  as  you  must  make." 

In  the  spring  of  177*2  the  "  Comedians  "  were  in  Wil- 
liamsburg again,  and  the  Gazette  of  April  2  gives  them 
editorial  comment: 

"  iSIr.  Kelley's  new  comedy  of  A  Word  to  the  Wise^ 
was  performed  at  our  Theatre  last  Thursday  for  the  first 
time,  and  repeated  on  Tuesday  to  a  very  crowded  and 
splendid  audience.     It  was  received  both  nights  with  the' 
warmest  marks  of  approbation;  the  sentiments  with  which* 
this  excellent  piece  is  replete  were  greatly  and  deservedly 
applauded,  and  the  audience,  while  they  did  justice  to  the' 
merit  of  the  Author,  did  no  less  honor  to  their  own  refined, 
taste.     If  the  comic  writers  would  pursue  Mr.  Kelley's 
plan,  and  present  us  only  with  moral  plays,  the  stage  would 
become  (what  it  ought  to  be)  a  school  of  politeness  and 
virtue.    Truth  indeed,  obliges  us  to  confess  that  for  several" 
years  past  most  of  the  new  plays  that  have  come  under  our  • 
observation  have  had  a  moral  tendency,  but  there  is  not' 
enough  of  them  to  supply  the  theatre  with  a  variety  of' 
exhibitions  sufficient  to  engage  tlie  attention  of  the  public; 
and  the  most  desirable  enjoyments,  by  too  frequent  a  repe- 
tition, become  insipid." 

In  the  Gazette  of  April  0  appears  this  advertisement:  k 

On  Tuesday  next,  being  the  14th  Instant 

A  New  Comedy,  Called 

Fat^e  Delicacy 

By  the  Author  of  A  Word  to  the  Wise. 

248 


THE  THEATRE 


It   may  not  he  improper  to  give  notice  that 

the  Theatre  in  Williamsburg  will  he  closed  at 

the  end  of  the  April  Conrt,  the  American  Company's 

Engagements    calling    them    to    the    Northward    from 

uhence  it  is  prohahle  they  ivill  not  return  for  several  years. 

On  April  21  they  played  "  The  Provoked  Husband," 
followed  by  "  the  Farce  of  Thomas  and  Sally,"  and  this 
seems  to  have  been  their  farewell  performance.  Just  once 
more  they  appear  in  the  columns  of  the  Virginia  Gazette 
whose  New  York  correspondent,  on  October  14, 1773,  gave 
Mrs.  Douglas  the  doubtful  pleasui'e  of  reading  her  own 
obituary. 

"  Last  week,"  reads  this  notice,  "  died  at  Philadelphia, 
Mrs.  Douglas,  wife  of  Mr.  Douglas,  Manager  of  the 
American  Company  of  Comedians,  and  mother  of  Mr. 
Lewis  Hallam:  a  Lady  who  by  her  excellent  performances 
upon  the  stage,  and  her  irreproachable  manners  in  private 
life,  had  recommended  herself  to  the  friendship  and  affec- 
tion of  many  of  the  principal  families  on  the  Continent  and 
in  the  West  Indies." 

In  a  "  Supplement  "  bearing  the  same  date,  the  news- 
paper declares  that  the  announcement  of  the  death  of 
Mrs.  Douglas  was  a  mistake,  "  For  by  late  advices  from 
Annapolis,  in  Maryand,  where  the  American  Company 
of  Comedians  is  noW  performing  that  lady  was  in  very 
good  health  and  acting  on  the  stage  with  her  usual 
applause." 

And  now  ends  the  story  of  the  theatre  in  Colonial 
Virginia. 

Already  a  wider  stage  was  being  set  for  the  more 
thrilling  scenes  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  with  the 
rising  of  the  curtain  upon  that  great  drama  of  real  life  the 
toy  playhouses  in  Virginia  and  the  other  colonies  closed 

249 


COLOXLVL  VIRGINIA,  11^  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS* 

their  doors.  In  1774  the  Congress  which  met  in  Phila-  -i 
delphia  to  discuss  resistance  to  Great  Britain  resolved  and  * 
recommended  to  the  people  "  to  discountenance  and  dis- 
courage every  species  of  extravagance  and  dissipation, 
especially  all  horse-racing,  all  kinds  of  gaming,  cock-fight- 
ing, exhihitions  of  shews,  plays  and  other  expensive  diver- 
sions and  entertainments.' 

And  Sarah  Plallam,  the  lovely  and  gifted,  what  became 
of  her  when  \'oung,  and  at  the  height  of  her  fame  tliis 
embargo  was  laid  upon  her  art? 

It  is  evident  that  she  had  made  a  place  for  herself  as  a 
woman  as  well  as  an  actress  in  the  hearts  of  her  patrons  in 
the  Virginia  capital,  for,  laying  aside  the  roles  in  which 
she  had  appeared  so  charmingly  before  them,  she  returned  I 
to  them  in  the  character  of  herself  and  made  her  home  i 
among  them,  earning  her  living  conducting  a  fashionable  ■' 
boarding  school  for  girls."''     In  an  advertisement  in  the 
Gazette  of  August  18, 1775,  she  "  begs  leave  to  acquaint  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen  "  of  Williamsburg  that  she  "  hopes  to  ) 
be  favoured  with  the  instruction  of  their  daughters  "  in  the 
"  genteel  accomplishment  of  dancing,"  which  was  evidently 
considered  an  important  part  of  a  young  person's  education 
in  Virginia,  even  with  war-clouds  muttering. 

With  this  advertisement  the  star  makes  her  exit  from  i 
colonial  records,  but  the  personal  charm  to  which  she  held  I 
fast,  even  in  old  age,  is  among  the  traditions  of  ^Villiams-  • 
burg.  Mrs.  Randolph  Harrison,  a  venerable  lady  of  that  t 
storied  town,  who  when  a  small  child  visited  Miss  Ilallam  i 
in  the  modest  cottage  in  which  she  was  living  at  a  great 
age,  and  the  pet  of  the  place,  as  late  as  1839,  has  given  us  ^ 
an  appealing  picture  of  her. 

2^  WilHftm  and  IVfnry  Quarterly,  xii,  237. 

250 


THE  THEATRE 


"Though  possessing  no  visible  means  of  support,"  says 
Mrs.  Harrison,  the  actress  "  fared  sumptuously  every  day." 
A  wealthy  planter  provided  her  with  servants,  and  the 
people  of  Williamsburg  "  vied  with  each  other  in  supply- 
ing her  with  comforts  and  luxuries." 

The  ladies  of  old  Bruton  Church  "  held  weekly  prayer 
meetings  in  her  chamber  where  she  sat  enthroned  in  her 
old  arm  chair."  Happy  were  the  children  who  were 
allowed  to  attend  these  services — not  that  they  developed 
miusual  evidences  of  early  piety,  but  "  visions  of  sugar 
plums  danced  through  their  heads."  Not  only  were  they 
"  feasted  with  dainties  on  their  arrival,  but  on  leaving  each 
child  was  presented  with  a  paper  bag  of  good  things  to 
take  home."  It  seemed  to  the  fortunate  little  visitors  that 
Miss  Hallam's  sole  occupation  was  making  these  bags,  for 
the  pockets  around  her  chair  were  kept  filled  with  them. 

"  When  this  dear  old  lady  was  gathered  to  her  fathers," 
adds  Mrs.  Harrison,  "  there  was  universal  mourning  in  the 
community."  ^* 

^*  Letter  quoted  in  William  and  Mary  Quarterly,  xvii,  66,  67. 


IX 
OUTDOOR  SPORTS 


HE  emigrants  to  \^irgima  brought 
with  them  the  Eiiighshman's  love  of 
outdoor  life.  Horses  were  intro- 
duced early  and  increased  rapidly, 
and  the  planters  became  unsurpassed 
riders.  This  perhaps  accounts  for 
the  charm  they  found  in  racing, 
which  they  regarded  as  peculiarly  a  gentleman's  diversion 
and  which  became  the  reigning  and  raging  sport  of  the 
colony.^ 

Disputes  over  races  settled  in  court  and  presen-^ed  in 
the  county  records  provide  our  earliest  information  on  the 
subject.  For  instance,  in  1674!  York  County  Court  issued 
this  order: 

"  James  Bullock,  a  Taylor  having  made  a  race  for  liis 
mare  to  runn  w'th  a  horse  belonging  to  Mr.  Mathew 
Slader  for  twoe  thousand  pounds  of  tobacco  and  caske,  it 
being  contrary  to  Law  for  a  Labourer  to  make  a  race, 
being  a  sport  only  for  Gentlemen,  is  fined  for  the  same 
one  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  and  caske. 

"  Whereas  Mr.  INLithew  Slader  &  James  Bullock,  by 
condition  under  the  hand  and  Scale  of  the  said  Slader  that 
Ills  horse  should  runn  out  of  the  way  that  Bullock's  mare 
miglit  win,  w'ch  is  an  ap])arcnt  clicate,  is  ord'ed  to  be  putt 
ill  the  stocks  (S:  there  sitt  tlie  space  of  one  houre." 

From  which  it  seems  that  thougli  the  tailor  was  punished 
for  aspiring  to  indulge  in  the  gentleman's  sport,  being  a 
gentleman  did  not  save  his  adversary  from  the  humiliation 

'  For  a  coniprohcnsive  nrticlo  on  Rnrin^  in  tlie  Colony  see  the 
Va.  Mnga/ine  of  History  jind  Biognij)hy,  ii,  293. 

252 


.lOHX  BAVLOU.  OF    'NliW  .MARKET" 
Noted  turfman.     When  af  Putney  Grammar  School,  England,  al)Out  17-il 


II 

OUTDOOR  SPORTS 


of  the  stocks  when  it  was  discovered  that  he  won  the  stake 
by  cheating. 

The  earhest  mention  of  a  race  in  the  records  of  Henrico 
County,  which  are  the  most  accessible  to  me,  is  the  follow- 
ing, in  1678: 

"  Bartholomew  Roberts,  aged  40  years  or  thereabouts, 
Deposeth  that  July  last  yo'r  Deponent  being  at  Bermuda 
Hundred,  there  being  a  horse  race  run  between  Mr.  Abra- 
ham Womock  &  jNlr.  Rich'd  Ligon.  Capt.  Tho.  Chamber- 
laine  being  at  ye  end  of  ye  race,  he  asked  whether  both 
horses  were  ready  to  run,  young  Tho.  saying  yes,  and 
Abraham  Childers  being  ordered  to  start  the  horses  he  bid 
them  go.  Tho :  Cocke's  went  about  4  or  5  lengths  from  ye 
starting  place,  run  out  of  ye  way,  and  Tho:  Cocke  rained 
him  in  and  cryed  it  was  not  a  faire  start  &  Capt.  Cham- 
berlaine  calling  ye  other  man  backe,  Joseph  Tanner  made 
answer,  ye  start  is  faire,  onely  one  horse  run  out  of  ye  way." 

Henrico  people  seem  to  have  been  quarrelsome  over 
their  races.  Among  others  which  they  brought  into  court 
was  one  in  1679  between  Richard  Ligon  and  Alexander 
Womock,  for  three  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco;  one  in 
1683  between  Edward  Hatcher  and  Andrew  Martin — the 
winner  to  have  the  other's  horse;  one  in  1687  between 
Mr.  John  Brodnax  and  Captain  William  Soane,  and  a 
number  in  later  years. 

Among  the  places  where  the  races  were  run  were 
"  Varina,"  "  Malvern  Hill,"  and  "  the  race-place  commonly 
called  ye  Ware."  The  usual  distance  for  these  early  races 
seems  to  have  been  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  they  were  run 
by  saddle  horses;  there  is  no  evidence  that  horses  were 
kept  especially  for  racing  until  some  time  in  the  eighteenth 
century — probably  about  1730. 

17  S253 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

The  passion  for  racing  increased  as  time  went  on. 
Writing  in  1724',  Hugh  Jones  says: 

"  The  common  planters  leading  easy  lives  don't  much 
admire  Labom-  or  many  Exercises  except  horse  racing." 

The  Virginia  Gazette  of  January  11,  1739,  contains 
an  advertisement  of  races — some  at  four  miles — at  oVIr. 
Joseph  Sewell's,  in  Gloucester,  for  various  purses,  run- 
ning as  high  as  thirty  pistoles.  The  managers  were  Wil- 
liam Nelson,  of  York,  and  Ralph  Wormeley,  of  ^liddle- 
sex — two  of  the  most  prominent  gentlemen  in  the  colony. 
The  Reverend  Andrew  Burnaby,  who  was  in  Virginia 
in  17.39,  commented  on  the  horses  thus: 

"  The  Gentlemen  of  Virginia  who  are  exceedingly  fond 
of  horse  racing,  have  spared  no  expense  or  trouble  to 
improve  the  breed  of  them  by  importing  great  numbers 
from  England." 

Between  174'0  and  1775  the  names  of  at  least  fifty 
horses  and  thirty  mares,  imported  to  Virginia,  are  re- 
corded, and  there  were  probably  many  others.  Among  the 
gentlemen  who  by  these  importations  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  Virginia  race  of  thoroughbred  horses,  or  who  were 
otherwise  interested  in  such  horses  and  the  turf,  were 
William  Smalley,  Mr.  INIaclin,  Capt.  William  Evans, 
James  Gibson,  William  Lightfoot  of  "  Sandy  Point,"  Col. 
John  Tayloe  of  "  Mt.  Airy,"  Alexander  Spotswood  (later 
the  Revolutionary  General),  Col.  John  Baylor  of  "  New 
^larket,"  Col.  John  Symc  of  Hanover,  Nathaniel  Harri- 
son of  "  Brandon,"  Sir  Marmaduke  Beckwith  of  Richmond 
County,  Col.  Francis  Thornton  of  "  Society  Hill,"  King 
George  County,  Col.  William  Byrd  of  "  Westover,"  Mor- 
decai  Booth  of  (Gloucester  County,  Daniel  McCarty  of 
"  Pope's  Creek,"  William  Fitzhugh  of  "  Chatham,"  Wil- 

254 


OUTDOOR  SPORTS 


liam  Brent  of  "  Richland,"  Lewis  Burwell  of  "  Carter's 
Creek,"  Ralph  Wormeley  of  "  Rosegill,"  Richard  Lee, 
James  Balfour  of  Brunswick  County,  Capt.  Littleburry 
Hardyman  of  "  Indian  Fields,"  Charles  City,  Armistead 
Lio^htfoot,  Roger  Gregory,  William  Churchill  of  "Wil- 
ton," Edward  Ambler  of  Jamestown,  Col.  Thomas  Mann 
Randolph  of  "  Tuckahoe,"  Col.  John  Willis  of  Brunswick, 
Capt.  Henry  Harrison  of  Sussex  County,  Thomson 
^lason,  John  Fleming  of  Cumberland  County,  Nathaniel 
Walthoe,  Samuel  Du  Val,  Col.  John  Mercer  of  "  Marl- 
borough," Francis  Whiting,  George  Nicholas,  Philip 
Lightfoot  Lee  of  "  Stratford,"  George  Baylor,  Landon 
Carter,  John  Banister  of  "  Battersea,"  Mann  Page  of 
"  Rosewell,"  Moore  Fauntleroy,  Maximilian  Robinson  of 
Richmond  County,  William  Hardyman,  James  Parke 
Farley,  Robert  Goode  of  "  Whitby,"  Benjamin  Grymes, 
Walker  Taliaferro,  Robert  Slaughter,  Col.  Presley  Thorn- 
ton of  "  Northumberland  House,"  and  his  son  Peter  Pres- 
ley Thornton,  Peter  Conway  of  Lancaster  County,  John 
Baird  of  "  Hallsfield,"  Prince  George  County,  Thomas 
Minor  of  Spotsylvania,  George  B.  Poindexter  of  New 
Kent  County,  William  O.  Winston  of  Hanover,  and 
finally,  the  versatile  George  Washington,  who,  according 
to  the  "  Turf  Register,"  was  a  steward  of  the  Alexandria 
Jockey  Club  and  ran  his  own  horses  there  and  at  Annapolis. 
There  are  few  files  of  the  Virginia  Gazette  between 
1740  and  1756,  but  those  that  remain,  and  the  Maryland 
Gazette^  show  that  the  sport  was  as  much  in  vogue  as  ever 
during  these  years.  One  of  the  most  exciting  races  of 
this  period  was  in  1752  when  William  Byrd,  the  third, 
issued  a  challenge  to  run  his  horse  Tryall  against  any  for 
five  hundred   pistoles — about  eighteen  hundred   dollars. 

255 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND   CUSTOMS 

Five  horses  were  entered  and  the  raee  was  run  at  "  Glou- 
cester race  ground,"  and  won  by  Selinia,  belonging  to 
Colonel  Tasker  of  Maryland. 

Racing  news  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the  Virginia 
Gazette  from  1766  to  1775.  One  of  the  chief  turf  events 
seems  to  have  been  the  four-mile  heat  race  for  one  hundred 
pounds,  run  at  Williamsburg  each  spring  and  fall.  In 
April,  1766,  this  was  won  by  Colonel  John  Tayloe's  Travel- 
ler, and  in  October  by  the  same  gentleman's  Hero.  In 
the  spring  of  1768  it  was  won  by  Captain  Littleberry 
Hardyman's  Partner,  and  in  the  fall  by  Colonel  Lewis 
BurweU's  Remus.  J.  F.  D.  Smith,  an  English  traveller 
who  was  in  Virginia  in  177-,  and  wrote  his  impressions, 
mentioned  the  Williamsbui'g  spring  and  fall  races  when 
two,  three  and  four-mile  heats  w^re  run  over  an  excellent 
course  adjoining  the  town,  and  said  tliat  annual  races  were 
established  in  almost  every  considerable  place  in  Virginia. 

Racing  in  the  colony  closed  with  a  most  successful 
season  in  1774.  The  Fredericksburg  Jockey  Club  had 
an  especially  brilliant  meeting,  when  the  "  Jockey  Club 
Plate,"  the  "  Town  Purse,"  and  other  races  were  hotly 
contested  by  horses  belonging  to  the  foremost  gentlemen 
of  the  country. 

What  was  perhaps  the  last  great  race  before  the  Revo- 
lution— the  "  Town  &  Country  Purse,"  four  mile  heats — 
was  reported  in  quite  modern  style  as  follows: 

William    I'it/.hugli,    of   Cliathjinrs,    cli.    g.     Volun- 
teer, 140  lbs 4.     4  1      1 

Peter  Conwuy,  Ksq.'s,  pr.  iii.    Marv  Gray,  U2i>  lbs.   1      JJ  dis. 

Alex.  Spotswood,  Esq.'s,  ch.  g.  Sterling,  VZ'H  lbs.     JJ      1  2     2 

Thos.  Minor,  Esq.'s,  s-h.  Fearnaught,  140  lbs...    2     2  2     dis. 

Robt.  Slaughter,  Esq.'s,  bl.  h.  Ariel,  132  lbs dis. 

A   complete   search   of   the   newspapers,    letters,    and 


OUTDOOR  SPORTS 


records  of  the  time  would  be  necessary  for  full  illustration 
of  the  almost  universal  interest  in  horses  and  racing.  Lead- 
ing men,  even  when  not  owning  race  horses,  went  regularly 
to  race  meetings.  For  instance  there  is  a  letter  to  Wash- 
ington from  George  jNIason  dated  "  Race  Ground  at  Bog- 
gess's  Saturday  6th  jNIay,  1758,  5  o'clock  p.m." 

Naturally  the  passion  for  racing  was  injurious  to  those 
who  indulged  in  reckless  betting,  and  this  was  felt  by  some 
of  the  planters.  Robert  Page,  of  "  Broad  Neck,"  Han- 
over County,  in  his  will  made  in  1765,  directed  that  neither 
of  his  sons  should  be  allowed  to  go  to  horse  races. 

From  an  early  time  the  Virginians  had  field  days  given 
up  to  all  sorts  of  outdoor  sports  and  exercises,  and  in  1691 
Governor  Sir  Francis  Nicholson  appointed  a  regular  day 
for  such  recreations  and  offered  prizes  for  those  who  should 
excel  in  them,  by  proclamations  published  in  the  counties, 
of  which  tliis  is  a  sample : 

"  To  the  Sheriff  of  Surry  County, 

"  I  desire  that  you  give  public  notice  that  I  will  give 
first  and  second  prizes  to  be  shott  for,  wrasttled,  played 
at  backswords,  &  run  for  b}^  Horse  and  foott,  to  begin 
on  the  22d  day  of  Aprill  next,  St.  George's  day,  being 
Saturday,  all  which  prizes  are  to  be  shott  for  &c  by  the 
better  sort  of  Virginians  onely,  who  are  Batchelors." 

The  Governor  duly  received  a  letter  from  "  The  Batche- 
lors of  Virginia,"  thanking  him  for  his  intention  of  "  insti- 
tuting annual  games  for  the  training  of  young  men  in 
manly  exercises  and  feats  of  activity." 

The  Virginia  Gazette  tells  how  Mr.  Augustus  Graham, 
"  a  generous  bachelor  "  of  Scotch  birth,  living  in  Hanover 
County,  "  provided  a  handsome  entertainment  for  gentle- 
men and  ladies  on  November  30,   1736 — St.  Andrew's 

257 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

day — aud  for  their  diversion  gave  several  prizes  to  be  con- 
tended for  by  several  sorts  of  exercise  and  agility,  all 
at  his  own  expense."  He  was  "  honored  with  a  great  deal 
of  Company  who  were  so  well  pleased  that  it  was  then 
resolved  for  keeping  the  same  spirit  of  friendship  and  good 
society  to  have  an  annual  meeting  "  to  be  paid  for  by  sub- 
scription. And  here  is  the  programme,  given  in  the 
Gazette,  for  the  "  meeting  "  on  St.  Andrew's  Day  of  the 
following  year. 

Twenty  horses  were  to  be  run  around  a  three-mile 
course  for  a  prize  of  five  pounds.  A  hat  worth  twenty 
shillings  was  to  be  "  cudgelled  for."  A  violin  was  to  be 
played  by  twenty  fiddlers  and  given  to  him  that  should 
be  adjudged  to  play  the  best;  no  person  to  play  unless 
he  brought  a  fiddle  with  him.  After  this  prize  was  won 
all  the  fiddlers  were  to  play  together,  each  a  different  tune, 
and  be  treated  by  the  company. 

Twelve  boys  twelve  years  of  age  were  to  run  twelve 
yards  for  a  hat  worth  twelve  shillings.  A  "  Quire  of  Bal- 
lads" was  to  be  simg  for  by  a  number  of  songsters,  the 
best  songster  to  have  the  prize  and  all  to  have  liquor  to 
clear  their  windpipes.  A  pair  of  silver  buckles  was  to  be 
wrestled  for  by  a  certain  nmnber  of  brisk  young  men,  a 
pair  of  handsome  shoes  to  be  danced  for  and  a  pair  of  silk 
stockings  to  be  given  to  the  handsomest  young  country 
maid  that  appeared  in  the  field,  and  there  were  to  be  "  many 
other  whimsical  and  comical  diversions  too  tedious  to  men- 
tion." A  flag  was  to  fly  tliirty  feet  high,  and  drums,  trum- 
pets, and  liautboys  were  to  play.  A  handsome  entertain- 
ment was  promised  the  subscribers  and  their  wives,  and  such 
of  them  as  were  not  so  happy  as  to  have  wives  would  be 
permitted  to  treat  any  other  lady.     After  dinner  "  the 

258 


AN  OLD  VUK.IMA  RACE  HORSE 


I.ORI)  FAIRFAX'S  RIDING  BOOTS 


OUTDOOR  SPORTS 


Royal  liealths,  his  Honor,  the  Governor's,  &c.,"  were  to 
be  drunk. 

Finally  the  advertisement  announced,  "  as  this  mirth 
is  designed  to  be  purely  innocent  and  void  of  offence,  all 
persons  resorting  there  are  desired  to  behave  themselves 
with  decency  and  sobriety.  All  immorality  is  to  be  dis- 
j^comitenanced  with  the  utmost  rigour." 
(B  Beverley,  writing  of  the  pastimes  of  the  Virginians  at 
the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  says : 

"  They  have  hunting,  fishing  and  fowling,  with  which 
they  entertain  themselves  in  an  hundred  ways."  He  de- 
scribes the  hunting  of  wild  horses,  of  deer,  and  other  game, 
including  the  "  treeing,"  after  dark,  of  opossums,  of  which 
he  says: 

"  In  this  sort  of  hunting  they  carry  their  great  dogs 
with  them,  because  wolves,  bears,  panthers,  wild  cats  and 
other  beasts  of  prey  are  abroad  in  the  night." 

The  fox  chase,  with  hounds — so  dear  to  the  English- 
man's heart — was  a  favorite  sport  of  the  Virginians,  and 
the  letters  of  the  period  contain  many  allusions  to  it.  In 
1756  William  Stevens,  of  Hanover  County,  wrote  to 
Nathaniel  Phillips,  in  London : 

"  This  morning  I  went  a  fox  hunting  with  some  gentle- 
men where  we  had  an  excellent  sport,  for  after  running 
him  four  hours  we  killed  him." 

Washington  was  an  enthusiastic  fox  hunter,  as  frequent 
entries  in  his  diary  attest.  In  a  letter  to  him  from  Bryan 
Fairfax,  in  1768,  the  writer  says: 

"  I  shall  be  glad  of  your  Company  at  Towlston  when 
it  is  convenient  to  spend  three  or  four  days  or  more.  I 
can't  say  my  hounds  are  good  enough  to  justifie  an  Invi- 
tation to  Hunt." 

259 


COLOMAL  MRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND    CUSTOMS 

W^lieii  Lord  Fairfax  was  living  at  "  Belvoir,"  a  mem- 
ber of  his  household  sent  the  following  note  to  a  neighbor: 

"Dear  Sir: 

"  His  Lordship  proposes  drawing  Mudd  Hole  tomor- 
row; first  killing  a  Fox;  then  to  turn  down  a  Bagged  Fox 
before  your  door  for  ye  diversion  of  ye  Ladies;  but  I  would 
not  have  you  think  that  we  shall  stop  a  long  time  at  y'r 
door,  for  if  y'r  dinner  should  be  ready  by  two  then  we 
shall  pass  through  y'r  door  and  enter  y'r  House.  .  .  . 

"  If  you  should  ehuse  Friday  for  our  eoming  lett  me 
know.     We  took  the  Fox  yesterday  without  Hurt." 

A  sport  popular  with  men  of  all  ranks  from  the  mas- 
ter to  the  slave  was  that  of  eoek-fighting,  and  again  we 
find  Washington  stepping  from  the  pedestal  which  evi' 
dently  often  cramped  his  legs,  to  enjoy  himself  like  any 
gentleman  of  the  day  with  perfectly  good  flesh  and  blood. 
Writing  in  his  journal  in  17.52  he  says: 

"  A  Great  ]Main  of  cocks  was  fought  in  Yorktown 
between  Gloucester  and  York  for  .5  pistoles  each  battle, 
and  100  ye  odd.  I  left  with  Colo.  Lewis  before  it  was 
decided." 

Says  the  Virginia  Gazette  of  May  23, 1755 : 

"  On  Tuesday,  Gth  of  this  inst.,  was  determined  at  the 
New  Kent  Court  House,  the  great  Cock  ^latch  between 
Gloucester  and  New  Kent,  for  10  pistoles  a  battle  and  100 
the  main.  There  fell  eighteen  of  the  Match  of  which  the 
New  Kent  men  won  ten  and  Gloucester  seven,  and  one 
drawn  battle.  Some  James  Kiver  cocks  that  fell  on  the 
New  Kent  side  distinguished  themselves  in  a  very  ex- 
traordinary manner." 

The  advertisement  of  a  cock  fight  at  Sussex  Court 
House,  in  1768.  ends,  "  At  night  there  will  be  a  ball  for  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen." 

260 


OUTDOOR  SPORTS 


Boat  racing  was  another  popular  diversion.  Philip 
Fithian  gives  a  lively  account  of  one  which  he  attended  at 
Hobb's  Hole — now  Tappahannock — on  the  Rappahan- 
nock River.  He  was  one  of  a  company  of  forty-five  ladies 
and  sixty  gentlemen  who  watched  the  race  from  the  deck 
of  the  ship  Beaufort  and  were  given  "  an  elegant  enter- 
tainment "  by  her  iSIaster,  Captain  Dobby.  There  was  a 
ball  that  night,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Ritchie,  a  wealthy 
merchant  of  the  town — two  fiddlers  furnishing  music  for 
the  minuet  and  other  dances.    Says  our  faithful  chronicler: 

"  Dolly  Edmmidson,  a  short,  pretty,  stump  of  a  girl, 
danced  well,  sung  a  song  with  great  applause  and  seemed 
to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  entertaimiient.  Mr.  Ritchie's 
Clerk,  a  limber,  well-dressed,  pretty  handsome  chap  seemed 
fond  of  her  and  she  of  him  .  .  .  and  waited  on  her  home, 
in  close  hugg  too,  the  moment  he  left  the  ballroom." 

The  company  "  got  to  bed  by  three,  after  a  day  spent  in 
constant,  violent  exercise  and  drinking  an  unusual  quantity 
of  liquor." 


X 

EDUCATION 


I— FREE  SCHOOLS 

|IIK  group  of  Virginians,  who  as  the 
colonial  period  drew  to  a  close  stood 
ready  to  bear  a  tremendous  part  in 
securing  freedom  and  constructing 
a  nation  in  America,  is  the  best 
evidence  of  the  moral  and  intellect- 
^"'^'yr^  ual  training  which  had  been  going 
quietly  on  in  his  ^lajesty's  first  colony. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  name  these  men — their  fame  has 
gone  round  the  world  and  grows  brighter  with  the  passing 
of  the  years.  In  them  the  seeds  of  xVnglo-Saxon  civiliza- 
tion which  their  forefathers  had  brought  across  the  sea  to 
plant  and  nurture  in  a  new  world  flowered  splendidly. 

It  is  natural  to  ask  what  sort  of  educational  system  pro- 
duced these  soldiers,  orators,  and  statesmen,  for  higWy 
developed  genius  such  as  theirs  could  never  have  sprung 
from  the  uncultivated  and  unfertilized  soil  of  illiteracy. 

The  destruction  of  Virginia  records  which  began  with 
the  burning  of  Jamestown,  in  1676,  makes  it  difficult  to 
report  with  any  degree  of  completeness  on  educational 
advantages  in  Virginia — especially  in  the  earliest  years — 
as  on  other  matters,  but  enough  remains  to  indicate  earnest 
zeal  for  the  training  of  youth,  and  every  opportunity  the 
time  and  conditions  made  possible.  A  goodly  nmnber  of 
tlic  emigrants  had  been  liberally  educated  in  the  schools 
and  universities  of  England  and  Scotland,  and  these  of 
course  saw  to  it  that  their  children  did  not  grow  up  in 
ignorance.  There  was  time  to  spare  on  the  plantations, 
and  many  a  child  was  carefully  taught  by  parents  and 


EDUCATION 


o 


guardians.  Almost  all  homes  but  the  poorest  contained 
books,  few  or  many — historical,  religious,  scientific,  and 
literary  works — and  as  there  was  practically  no  light  litera- 
ture, young  people  and  their  elders  did  more  reading  of  a 
kind  to  give  them  mental  exercise,  and  persons  of  every 
age,  class,  and  condition  drank  far  more  deeply  than  now 
of  that  well  of  English  pure  and  undefiled — the  Bible. 

In  addition  to  these  cultivating  influences,  the  planter's 
child  learned  the  three  Rs  or  received  a  liberal  education  in 
one  or  more  of  four  ways :  From  a  tutor  under  the  parental 
roof,  from  a  local  school — free  or  private — to  and  from 
which  he  went  each  day,  or  in  which  he  boarded,  from  a 
school  or  college  abroad,  or — after  1693 — from  William 
and  IVIary  College. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  period  a  few  Virginia  boys  were 
sent  to  Princeton  and  0jlier  Northern  colleges. 

]Masters  were  made  to  see  that  orphaned  and  other 
children  apprenticed  to  them  were  taught  to  read  and  write, 
and  provision  was  made  by  both  Church  and  State  and  in 
wills  of  charitably  disposed  men  and  women  that  poor 
children  should  attend  the  "  old  field  "  and  other  schools 
free  of  charge. 

This  does  not  mean  that  everybody  was  educated  in 
even  the  most  rudimentary  way.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  universal  education  was  then  a  thing  undreamed  of; 
that  in  England,  illiteracy  among  the  poorer  classes  was 
widespread,  and  that  old  letters  bear  witness  that  many 
ladies  of  rank  there  could  not  spell.  One  fair  test  of  liter- 
acy is  the  number  of  persons  in  a  community  who  can 
sign  their  names.  Philip  A.  Bruce  has  shown  that  in 
Virginia  in  the  seventeenth  century  over  fifty  per  cent,  of 
persons  on  juries,  sixty  per  cent,  of  men  making  deeds 


2C3 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

and  depositions,  and  thirty-three  per  cent,  of  women  could 
write/  Tliere  was  vast  improvement  as  time  went  on. 
Signatures  in  the  printed  volume  of  Spotsylvania  County 
records  prove  that  from  1729  to  173-i  ahout  twenty-three 
per  cent,  of  persons  represented  were  illiterate.  In  the 
ten  years  following  only  fourteen  per  cent,  could  not  write. 
This  may  be  too  high  a  proportion  of  literacy  to  be  exact, 
as  many  of  the  deeds  were  made  by  large  landholders,  who 
were  generally  men  of  education.  Yet  out  of  signers  of  a 
hundred  and  fifty-five  deeds,  not  especially  selected,  in  the 
same  county,  only  twelve  made  their  marks.  Alexander 
Brown,  referring  to  the  period  from  17-10  to  1770,  says: 

"  1  have  orders  for  entry  or  transfer  of  lands  from 
nearly  a  thousand  different  persons,  and  it  was  rare  indeed 
that  tliey  were  not  able  to  write  their  own  orders.  It  is  true 
that  some  of  the  writing  is  very  bad,  but  much  of  it  is  very 
good."  ■ 

There  were  no  children  in  the  colony  during  its  earliest 
years,  but  soon  after  the  first  birth,  in  1009,  ships  with  new 
supplies  of  emigrants  brought  children,  as  well  as  men  and 
women. 

Indian  children  were  there  from  the  beginning,  how- 
ever, and  very  early  the  Virginia  Company  of  London 
launched  a  plan  to  found  a  college  in  which  to  educate  and 
make  Christians  of  them,  and  at  the  same  time  give  the 
planters  educational  advantages  for  their  children.  In 
1017  King  James  ordered  letters  patent  to  be  issued 
throughout  his  kingdom  to  raise  money,  and  a  handsome 
sum  was  contributed  and  invested  for  the  proposed  insti- 
tution.    The  Virginia  Assembly  of  1019  discussed  plans 

*  Bnicc's  "  Institutionnl  Ilistorv  of  Virginia  in  the  Seven- 
teenth (Vntury,"  i,  450,  459. 

=  Brown's  "  CabcUs  and  their  Kin,"  190,  191. 

264 


H    u 


EDUCATION 


for  it,  the  Virginia  Company  gave  it  a  fertile  tract  of  ten 
thousand  acres  at  Henrico,  on  James  River,  and  by  1620 
"  the  College  lands  "  had  been  laid  off  into  small  farms 
and  a  hundred  tenants  sent  out  from  England  to  cultivate 
them  on  shares — the  rewards  of  their  labor  to  be  equally 
divided  between  the  College  and  themselves.  In  this  year 
came  ^Master  George  Thorpe,  a  gentleman  of  his  INIajesty's 
privy  chamber,  distinguished  for  godliness  and  learning, 
who  had  been  appointed  manager  of  the  College  and  as- 
signed three  hundred  acres  of  land  with  ten  tenants  to 
cultivate  it. 

Xot  only  in  Virginia  and  in  England  were  plans  for 
education  in  the  colony  going  forward.  At  the  faraway 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  the  British  ship  Royal  James,  return- 
ing home  from  India,  met  some  vessels  which  had  been  to 
Virginia  and  gave  so  favorable  a  report  of  the  colony  that 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Copeland,  the  good  ship's  chaplain, 
passed  around  his  hat  among  the  passengers  and  mariners 
and  collected  over  seventy  pounds  sterling  to  be  devoted 
to  building  either  a  church  or  a  school  there.  In  1621  this 
gift,  equal  to  at  least  seventeen  hundred  dollars  to-day,  was 
turned  over  to  the  Virginia  Company  which  appointed  a 
committee  to  consider  what  to  do  with  it.  The  committee 
decided  that  "  as  each  plantation  would  have  a  church  " 
there  was  "  greater  want  of  a  school,"  which  would  be  "  like 
to  prove  a  worke  most  acceptable  unto  the  planters  .  .  . 
constrained  at  great  cost  to  send  their  children  home  (to 
England)  to  be  taught." 

The  Company  agreed  to  use  the  money  "  towards  the 
erection  of  a  publique  free  schoole  in  Virginia,"  for  which 
they  had  already  received  an  anonymous  gift  of  forty 
pounds  sterling.  They  named  it  the  East  India  School, 
appointed  Mr.  Copeland  as  its  rector,  and  gave  it  a  thou- 

265 


COLONIAL  MRGINLA.,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND    CUSTOMS 

sand  acres  of  land  in  Charles  City,  a  few  miles  from  the  site 
chosen  for  the  College  to  which  it  was  to  be  a  sort  of  annex, 
and  to  which  students  from  the  school  were  to  be  advanced 
into  such  scholarships  and  fellowships  as  should  be  en- 
dowed. An  architect  and  carpenter  bringing  his  wife  and 
five  apprentices  came  over  early  in  1622  to  build  the  school- 
house,  but  in  March  of  that  year  plans  for  both  school  and 
college  were  completely  overthrown  by  the  ghastly  Indian 
Massacre  which  came  very  near  annihilating  the  colony 
itself.    Good  Master  Thorpe  was  one  of  the  hapless  victims. 

A  year  later  the  Virginia  Company,  evidently  not  real- 
izing in  far-away  London  the  stricken  state  of  the  colony, 
gave  orders  for  the  improvement  of  the  College  lands  and 
the  construction  of  the  College  building,  declaring,  "  The 
work  by  the  assistance  of  God  shall  again  proceed."  But 
at  the  close  of  another  year  the  revocation  of  the  Com- 
pany's charter  put  an  end  at  once  to  its  useful  existence 
and  its  plans  for  a  school  and  a  college  on  the  James. 

For  some  years  no  known  attempts  for  providing  edu- 
cational advantages  in  the  colony  were  made,  but  on 
February  12,  16-42-43,  Benjamin  Syms  bequeathed  two 
hundred  acres  of  his  land  and  eight  cows  to  found  a  free 
school  in  Elizabeth  City  County.  The  profits  from  the 
sale  of  the  milk  and  of  the  first  increase  of  the  cattle  were 
to  be  used  to  build  a  schoolhouse  and  later  profits  to  carry 
on  the  school.  The  Assembly  declared  that  the  gift  should 
be  used  "  according  to  the  godly  intent  of  the  testator," 
and  the  school  was  successfully  established  by  this  first  gift 
for  education  in  America  by  a  resident  in  any  American 
colony.  The  good  work  evidently  prospered,  for  a  writer 
describing  conditions  in  Virginia  in  1647  says: 

"  We  have  a  free  school  with  two  hundred  acres  of 
land,  a  fine  house  upon   it,   forty   milch  kine  and  other 


EDUCATION 


accommodations.  The  benefactor  deserveth  perpetual 
mention,  Mr.  Benjamin  Syms,  worthy  to  be  chronicled. 
Other  petty  schools  we  have." 

Elizabeth  City  was  fortunate,  for  on  September  20, 
1659,  another  of  its  planters,  Thomas  Eaton,  bequeathed 
a  farm  of  five  hundred  acres  with  everything  on  it,  in- 
cluding houses  and  furniture,  orchards,  two  negi'oes,  four- 
teen cattle,  and  twenty  hogs,  for  a  second  free  school  for 
children  born  within  the  limits  of  the  county. 

It  is  evident  that  only  children  of  the  poor  were  sup- 
posed to  attend  these  and  other  "  free  "  schools  of  Vir- 
ginia, without  charge,  but  it  was  said  in  1759  that  a  great 
number  of  students  whose  parents  were  able  to  pay  for 
their  education  had  been  admitted  gratis  to  the  Eaton 
Schppl:  There  is  much  testimony  to  the  benefits  of  both 
the  Syms  and  Eaton  schools.  They  existed  separately 
until  1805,  when  they  were  combined  under  the  name  of 
Hampton  Academy  and  to-day  survive  in  the  Syms-Eaton 
Academy  which,  with  a  handsome  building  and  a  little 
fund  of  its  own,  is  part  of  the  public  school  system  of  the 
town  of  Hampton. 

From  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  on,  many 
wills,  some  of  them  of  men  and  women  of  obscure  position 
and  small  estate,  show  bequests  for  founding  schools  or 
aiding  children  of  the  poor  in  obtaining  an  education. 
When  in  1671  Governor  Berkeley  declared  that  he  thanked 
God  there  were  no  free  schools  in  the  colony,  he  gave 
enemies  of  Virginia  a  weapon  with  which  they  have  been 
hacking  away  at  her  fair  name  ever  since.  What  the  embit- 
tered old  man  meant  will  never  be  known.  He  certainly 
was  well  aware  of  the  Syms,  Eaton,  and  other  schools  that 
were  by  that  time  scattered  about,  but  perhaps  he  deemed 
them  as  nothing  compared  with  the  great  schools  of  old 

267 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

England.  lie  was  liiniself  a  scholar  and  an  author,  but 
he  was  also  an  extremely  narrow  aristocrat,  wrapped  up 
in  a  pride  and  caste  feeling  that  made  him  spurn  the 
common  people  who  he  would  probably  have  said  had  no 
more  right  to  learn  to  read  than  to  wear  gold  lace.  Robert 
Beverley,  the  Virginia  historian,  wrote  in  170o: 

"  There  are  large  tracts  of  land,  houses  and  other 
things  granted  to  free  schools  for  the  education  of  children 
in  many  parts  of  the  country,  and  some  of  these  are  so 
large  that  of  themselves  they  are  a  handsome  maintenance 
to  a  master;  but  the  additional  allowance  which  gentlemen 
giv^e  their  sons  render  them  a  comfortable  subsistence. 
These  schools  have  been  founded  by  the  legacies  of  well- 
inclined  gentlemen,  and  the  management  of  them  hath 
commonly  been  left  to  the  direction  of  the  county  court  or 
the  vestry  of  their  respective  parishes." 

Among  the  "  well-inclined  gentlemen  "  and  women  of 
Virginia  in  the  seventeenth  century  who  are  known  to  have 
interested  themselves  in  public  education  were  "  Mr.  Lee," 
of  Northumberland,  whose  plan  for  establishing  a  free 
school  there  was  approved  by  the  county  court  in  1G52; 
Captain  William  ^Vhittington,  who  in  1054  bequeathed 
two  thousand  pounds  of  tobacco  for  use  of  a  free  school 
under  contemplation  in  Northampton  County;  John  Moon, 
who  in  1()5;)  left  a  legacy  of  cattle,  and  Henry  King,  who 
in  1()()8  left  a  hundred  acres  of  land  for  maintenance  of 
schools  in  Isle  of  Wight  County;  Richard  Russell,  a 
Quaker,  of  Lower  Norfolk,  who  about  1070  left  part  of 
his  estate  for  the  education  of  children  of  the  poor  in  his 
neighborhood;  Henry  Peasley,  who  in  107.)  bequeathed 
six  hundred  acres  of  land,  ten  cows  and  a  mare  for  found- 
ing a  free  school  in  Gloucester  County;  Mrs,  Frances 
Pritchard,  wife  of  Richard  Pritchard,  a  l)oatwright,  who 

t2G8 


EDUCATION 


in  1C80  left  a  legacy  to  found  a  free  school  in  Lancaster 
County;  and  William  Gordon,  who  in  1G85  gave  Christ 
Church  Parish,  JSliddlesex,  a  hundred  acres  of  land  on 
which  to  huild  a  free  school. 

This  parish  had  at  least  two  legacies  for  free  schools 
in  the  next  century.  In  1763  James  Reed  left  it  two  lots 
in  the  town  of  Urbanna  and  in  1768  Alexander  Frasier 
left  it  land  in  Middlesex  County. 

In  170-1  William  Rawlings,  of  King  William  County, 
bequeathed  his  estate  "  for  schooling  of  poor  childi'en." 

About  1706  Mrs.  Mary  Whaley,  of  York  County, 
founded  a  free  school  in  Williamsburg  in  honor  of  her  only 
child  IMatthew,  or  "  Mattey."  In  her  will  in  1742  she  gave 
the  "  ]Mattey  School,"  with  over  five  hundred  pounds  ster- 
ling for  its  maintenance,  to  Bruton  Parish,  and  it  did  a 
beneficent  work  in  the  colonial  capital  for  many  years. 

In  1711  William  Stark  gave  a  quarter  of  an  acre  lot 
in  Yorktown  "  for  the  proper  yuse  of  a  schoule  forever 
and  for  no  other  yuse  but  for  a  public  scoule  to  educate 
children."  In  the  deed  he  gives  a  list  of  gentlemen  who 
had  been  "  benefactors  "  of  the  school.  They  were  Will 
Hewit,  Thomas  Hansford,  Thomas  and  Will  Barber, 
Joseph  Walker,  Lewis  Burwell,  Cole  Digges,  William  and 
Thomas  Harwood,  Robert  Goodwin,  Cuthbert  Hu])ert, 
Thomas  Wade,  Robert  Crawley,  Will  Babb,  Richard  Pate, 
Richard  Butt  and  William  Stark. 

In  1723  John  Mayo,  of  INIiddlesex,  bequeathed  prop- 
erty for  the  education  of  children  of  the  poor. 

In  1753  Mrs.  Ehzabeth  Smith,  of  Isle  of  Wight,  "  did 
by  deed  order  "  her  trustee,  Joseph  Bridger,  to  invest  part 
of  her  estate  in  a  lot  in  Smithfield  and  build  upon  it  a 
house  for  a  free  school.  She  also  appointed  three  trustees 
to  employ  a  teacher  and  look  after  the  school,  and  in  her 

18  269 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE   AND   CUSTOMS 

will  she  left  it  a  handsome  sum  of  money — referring  to  it 
as  "  my  school." 

In  1766  Joseph  Koyle,  of  Williamsbm'g,  directed  in 
his  will  that  in  event  of  the  death  of  his  son  his  estate  was 
to  be  used  to  found  "  Royle's  Free  School,"  for  which  he 
wished  employed  a  teacher  "  of  good  character  and  capable 
of  teaching  the  English  language  with  propriety,  accent, 
cadence  and  emphasis;  civility,  aritlmietic  and  practical 
Mathematics."  This  was  one  of  a  number  of  wills — early 
and  late — directing  that  property  be  devoted  to  educational 
purposes  upon  the  death  of  cliildless  heirs. 

In  1770  Colonel  Landon  Carter,  of  Richmond  County, 
mentions  his  "  Charity  school "  in  his  diarj',  and  in  1772 
he  writes,  "  Gave  William  Rigmaden  £20,  being  his  salary, 
this  day  at  my  free  school."  Colonel  Carter  had  a  private 
tutor  for  his  own  children. 

In  1774  William  Robinson  left  his  estate  for  the  edu- 
cation of  the  poor  of  Halifax  County,  and  Colonel  Hum- 
phrey Hill  bequeathed  five  hundred  pounds  to  St.  Ste- 
phen's Parish,  King  and  Queen  County,  to  be  put  out  at 
interest  for  the  education  of  poor  children. 


WILLIAM    in  Kl),  OK    •WKSTOVKR" 


EDUCATION 


II— PRIVATE  SCHOOLS 

In  addition  to  the  free  schools  there  were  little  private 
schools  scattered  through  the  colony,  both  in  eastern  Vir- 
ginia and  in  the  mountains.  jNIany  of  them  were  taught  by 
parish  ministers  who  were  frequently  college-bred  English- 
men or  Scotchmen  who  thus  placed  their  accomplisliments 
at  the  service  of  their  flocks  and  at  the  same  time  added 
comfortably  to  their  own  incomes.  Others  had  school- 
masters who  came  over  with  credentials  from  the  Bishop 
of  London  or  were  duly  examined  and  licensed  by  his 
Majesty's  Council  in  Virginia.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
seventeenth  century  there  were  a  number  of  these  little 
schools  in  Henrico,  then  a  frontier  county  in  constant 
danger  from  the  Indians — among  them  a  boarding  school 
kept  by  a  gentleman  with  the  delightful  name  of  Havaliah 
Horner.  The  little  Bland  boys,  Theodorick  and  Richard, 
were  there  about  1673,  evidently  at  a  tender  age,  as  their 
mother  sent  a  cow  to  the  school  to  furnish  them  with  milk. 

In  1683  Nathaniel  Hill,  a  Gloucester  County  school- 
master, moved  to  Henrico  and  the  county  court  ordered 
that  he  be  exempt  from  taxes  for  a  year  as  an  encourage- 
ment to  "  able  tutors  "  to  settle  in  those  parts.  In  1688 
Thomas  Dawley,  of  Henrico,  charged  a  patron  thirty  shill- 
ings for  teaching  two  children  nine  months.  As  to  whether 
or  not  they  were  young  enough  to  have  their  cow  go  to 
school  with  them  the  deponent  fails  to  enlighten  us.  In 
1699  the  Council  recommended  Thomas  Kingston,  Thomas 
Smythe,  and  Nicholas  Sharpe  to  the  Henrico  authorities 
as  suitable  persons  for  schoolmasters. 

In  1687  Colonel  William  Fitzhugh,  of  Stafford 
County,  wrote  a  friend  in  London  that  he  found  it  difficult 
to  educate  his  children  in  that  remote  neighborhood,  "  and 
better  never  be  born  than  be  ill-bred."    Three  years  later 

871 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

he  wrote  that  he  had  intended  sending  his  eldest  son  to 
England  to  school,  but  meeting  a  French  clergj'man  of 
learning,  in  whose  family  only  French  was  spoken,  he  put 
the  boy  with  him  and  he  was  getting  on  well  in  both  French 
and  Latin. 

While  some  of  these  country  pedagogues  were  classical 
scholars,  others,  of  course,  attempted  only  the  rudiments. 
In  1684  Valentine  Evans,  of  York  County,  taught  reading 
and  writing  for  twenty  shillings  a  year.  In  1699  Stephen 
Lylly  and  Charles  Goring,  of  Elizabeth  City  County, 
"  being  found  capable  of  teaching  youth  reading,  writing 
and  arithmetick,"  were  recommended  to  the  Governor  for 
licenses  as  schoolmasters. 

In  1712  Sanmel  Shepperd,  of  Princess  Anne  County, 
was  granted  leave  to  build  a  school  "  on  ye  court  house 
land  for  common  benefit."  He  is  given  "  liberty  to  keep 
School  in  ye  Courthouse  till  a  School  house  be  Built."  In 
1716  George  Shurly,  also  of  Princess  Anne,  obtained  per- 
mission for  his  servant,  Peter  Taylor,  to  keep  school  in 
the  courthouse  and  jury  room,  "  Ye  Court  thinking  ye 
same  to  be  a  reasonable  and  usual  practise." 

From  1736  until  1739,  inclusive,  George  Mason,  the 
author-to-be  of  the  Bill  of  Rights,  went  to  a  Prince  Wil- 
liam County  boarding  school,  paying  a  thousand  pounds 
of  tobacco  a  year  for  board  and  eight  hundred  and  forty- 
five  ])ounds  for  scliooling  and  books.  His  sister  Mary 
went  for  three  years,  ])ayiMg  tlie  same  amount  for  board 
but  only  two  hundred  ])ounds  of  tobacco  a  year  for  school- 
ing. Neither  in  England  nor  in  Virginia  at  the  time  were 
girls  supposed  to  need  much  education  of  an  intellectual 
kind:  accomplishments  such  as  music,  dancing,  and  em- 
l)roiderin":  beinfj:  considered  more  feminine,  and  the  amount 
paid  for  Mary  INXason's  "  bdok-learniiig  "  suggests  that  it 

Hi 


EDUCATION 


was  of  an  elementary  character.  She  was,  however,  sent  to 
a  dancing  school  for  a  year  and  a  half,  which  doubtless 
finished  her  for  colonial  society. 

In  1740  Reverend  James  Marye  opened  a  school  in 
Fredericksburg  to  which  in  course  of  time  went  Washing- 
ton, Madison,  and  3Ionroe. 

Occasionally  a  colored  servant  was  permitted  to  go  to 
school  with  the  children  of  his  master.  Colonel  and  Mrs. 
James  Gordon,  of  Lancaster,  were  interested  in  a  little 
country  school  in  their  neighborhood,  taught  by  a  school- 
master named  Criswell,  and  frequently  visited  the  school 
and  gave  the  children  treats.  On  January  16,  1759, 
Colonel  Gordon  records  in  his  journal,  "  Sent  Molly  and 
her  maid,  Judith,  to  school  to  ^Ir.  Criswell."  In  1760 
this  school  had  thirteen  Latin  and  four  English  students. 

Fithian  took  a  youth  who  waited  on  the  table  at  "  Nom- 
ini  Hall  "  into  school  there. 

The  Reverend  Jonathan  Boucher,  in  his  "  Reminis- 
cences," tells  of  his  experiences  first  as  a  tutor  in  the  home 
of  Captain  Dixon,  at  Port  Royal,  Virginia,  and  later  as 
master  of  a  country  boarding  school  when  he  was  rector  of 
St.  Mary's  Parish,  Caroline  County,  from  about  1763  to 
1774.  He  says  he  had  "  nearly  thirty  "  boys,  "  most  of 
them  sons  of  persons  of  the  first  condition  in  the  Colony," 
all  of  whom  boarded  with  him. 

The  yellowed  colunms  of  the  old  Virginia  Gazette  show 
advertisements  for  teachers  for  both  schools  and  private 
families,  and  those  of  various  qualifications  are  wanted 
from  "  a  sober  person  of  good  morals  capable  of  teaching 
children  to  read  English  well  and  to  write  and  cipher,"  to 
"  a  single  man  capable  of  teaching  Greek,  Latin  and  the 
mathematicks."  In  1739  Thomas  Brewer,  of  Nansemond 
County,  advertises  that  "  any  sober  person  duly  qualified 

27S 


COLONUL  VIlUilNIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

to  keep  a  country  school  can  be  assured  of  twenty-four 
scholars,"  and  in  1775  a  schoolmaster  "  unexceptionable  in 
point  of  character  "  and  "  able  to  teach  the  English,  Latin 
and  Greek  languages  in  their  purity  and  elegance,  writing, 
arithmetick,  accounts  and  the  niathematicks,"  is  wanted  to 
open  a  school  for  boys  and  girls  in  Port  Royal.  The 
advertisement  adds  that  "  a  commodiolis  schoolhouse  has 
lately  been  built  and  free  use  of  it  will  be  granted." 

The  great  mass  of  family  papers  used  by  Alexander 
Brown  in  "  The  Cabells  and  their  Kin  "  tlirows  much  light 
on  education  in  the  colony.  When  Doctor  William  Cabell 
settled  near  the  Blue  Ridge,  within  the  present  .Vmherst  or 
Nelson  County,  then  a  frontier  section,  schools  were  doubt- 
less scarce  there,  but  the  correspondence  between  himself 
and  his  wife  during  his  absence  in  England,  from  1735  to 
1741,  shows  constant  solicitude  for  the  education  of  their 
children.  Their  son  William,  at  the  age  of  eight,  could 
"  read  well  and  had  commenced  learning  to  write."  In 
1737  another  son,  Joseph,  five  years  old,  had  begim  to  go 
to  school,  and  two  years  later  he  could  read  well.  The 
Cabell  papers  preserve  the  names  of  a  nnml>cr  of  early 
teachers  in  this  part  of  the  colony,  among  them  William 
Ward,  1741;  William  Cox,  17(>2:  John  Clay,  1763-64; 
Roderick  McCulloch,  1768-()0,  and  Reverend  James 
^laury,  to  whose  Classical  School,  in  Albemarle  County, 
went  Thomas  Jefferson,  Bishop  Madison,  John  Taylor, 
of  Caroline,  Dabney  Carr,  Sr.,  and  other  distinguished 
men.    ^Ir.  Brown  says: 

"  It  was  the  custom  of  the  landed  gentry  of  this  region, 
with  their  minor  children,  that  first  one  and  then  another 
of  a  circle  of  friends  would  em])loy  a  tutor  and  take  tlie 
sons  of  the  others  as  boarders.  Thus  in  1768-60  the  tutor 
was  at  *  Union  Ilill,'  the  home  of  Colonel  William  Cabell; 

i74 


EDUCATION 


ill  1770-71,  at  Colonel  Peter  Fontaine's;  in  1772-73,  at 
Colonel  John  Nicholas's,  and  in  1774-75  again  at  '  Union 
Hill.'  There  were  also  teachers  of  music,  of  dancing  and 
of  fencing  who  gave  lessons  by  the  month  or  quarter." 

About  1750  Robert  Alexander,  a  graduate  of  Trin- 
ity College,  Dublin,  settled  in  Rockbridge  County  and 
taught  the  first  classical  school  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge, 
and  the  Augusta  Records  show  that  there  were  a  good 
number  of  little  schools  across  the  mountains.  About 
1759  Frederick  Upp,  lay  reader  of  the  "  Church  on  the 
Fork,"  agreed  with  his  flock  to  keep  school  for  six  months 
at  twelve  shillings  and  a  bushel  of  wheat  for  each  child,  but 
residents  of  another  neighborhood  promised  him  thirty- 
four  children — a  larger  number  than  the  congregation  on 
the  Fork  could  assure  him — and  he  went  to  them.  In  1766 
we  find  Charles  Knight,  another  Valley  schoolmaster, 
agreeing  with  his  patrons  to  teach  for  a  salary  of  eighteen 
pounds  sterling  a  year  and  have  every  other  Saturday  or 
half  of  every  Saturday  off,  and  *'  if  any  alarm  of  the 
Indians  comes  they  are  to  provide  shelter,  food  and  drink." 

The  very  great  number  of  wills  of  both  the  seventeenth 
and  eighteenth  centuries  which  direct  that  boys  and  girls 
should  be  sent  to  school  bear  witness  to  both  the  general 
desire  to  have  children  educated  and  the  accessibility  of 
every  part  of  the  colony  to  schools  of  some  sort.  Men  of 
means  who  lived  in  remote  or  frontier  counties  were  often 
not  satisfied  with  the  elementary  ones  within  their  reach 
and  directed  that  their  children  be  sent  where  they  could 
have  better  advantages.  For  instance,  Philip  Buckner, 
of  Stafford,  in  1699,  requested  in  his  will  that  his  brothers 
who  lived  in  York  County  "  take  his  sons  down  with  them 
that  they  might  have  learning." 

A  few  of  the  many  whose  wills  provided  for  education 

275 


COLONIAL  MRGINM,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

in  the  earlier  century  were  Humphrey  Clark,  1655;  Ann 
Littleton,  widow  of  Colonel  Nathaniel  I^ittleton,  1656; 
Richard  Briggs,  1679;  Thomas  Parnell,  1687,  wlio  wished 
two  sons  and  four  daughters  to  be  "  brought  up  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord  and  to  learn  to  wright  and  reade,"  and  Thomas 
Brereton,  1698,  who  directed  that  his  son  Thomas  be  "  put 
to  school  to  be  taught  to  read,  write  and  cypher,  and  if  pos- 
sible, the  Latin  tongue." 

Many  fathers,  like  Edmund  Berkeley,  of  "  Barn 
Elms,"  in  1710,  direct  that  their  sons  be  "  kept  at  school 
until  they  arrive  at  ye  age  of  twenty-one  years."  Others 
like  Keverend  Charles  Andrews,  in  1712,  desire  their 
"  children  to  have  a  liberal  education." 

Wills  of  women  show  an  equally  careful  provision  for 
the  training  of  their  children.  In  that  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Churchill,  made  in  1716,  she  says: 

"  I  desire  that  ^Ir.  Bartholomew  Yates  undertake  the 
instruction  of  my  son,  Armistead  Churchill,  and  instruct 
him  in  his  own  house  in  Latin  and  Greek."  ]Mr.  Yates 
**  is  to  be  given  yearly  two  of  the  best  beeves  and  four  of 
the  best  hogs,  over  and  above  what  he  shall  demand  for 
teaching  and  board." 

Not  all  parents  aspired  to  a  classical  education  for  their 
sons.  ]\Iany  carefully  arranged  that  they  should  have 
practical  training.  In  1718  Samuel  Matthews,  of  Rich- 
mond County,  a  man  of  considerable  estate,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  liospitable  (Governor  ^Matthews,  directeil  in 
his  will  that  his  two  eldest  sons  be  apprenticed  one  to  a 
master  of  a  ship  and  the  other  to  a  good  house  carpenter. 

Thomas  Lee,  of  "  Stratford,"  one  of  the  wealthiest  men 
in  the  colony  and  the  father  of  six  distinguished  Tvces,  in 
liis  will  made  in  1749-50,  requested  the  guardians  of  his 
sons  to  educate  them  as  they  thought  fit,  "  Religiously  and 

27fi 


ay  ^^urtc,>    .A   li..ri.,t  ,  M,.s>..;,i.e 

RALPH  WORMELEY.  OF  "ROSEGILL,  "  VIRGINIA,  AND  ()|    TKIMTV  COLLEGE, 

CAMBRIDGE 


EDUCATION 


Virtuously,"  and,  if  necessary,  to  bind  them  to  any  trade 
or  profession,  that  they  might  "  learn  to  get  their  living 
honestly." 

Some,  like  Edward  Scott,  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Burgesses  for  Goochland,  and  Matthew  Hubard,  a  York 
County  planter  of  good  family,  directed  that  their  sons 
be  given  the  best  education  their  estates  afforded  "  until 
sixteen,"  and  then  bound  out  to  a  trade.  Thomas  Rey- 
nolds, of  Yorktown,  in  his  will  made  in  1759,  wished  his 
son  to  be  educated  "  in  writing  and  accounts  and  the  most 
useful  branches  of  mathematics,  as  geometry,  trigonome- 
try, gauging,  dialing,  surveying,  gunnery,  with  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  French  tongue,"  and  afterward  "  to  be  bound 
to  a  good  trading  merchant  such  as  trade  to  sea." 

Others,  like  Cadwallader  Dade,  of  Stafford,  1760, 
simply  desired  that  their  sons  "  have  as  good  an  education 
as  the  estate  can  afford."  In  this  year  Gawin  Corbin  of 
"  Peckatone,"  Westmoreland,  directed  in  his  will  that  his 
only  child,  Martha  Corbin,  be  given  "a  genteel  education," 
and  in  1765  Beverley  Stanard,  of  Spotsylvania,  ordered 
that  his  "  sons  William  and  Larkin  Stanard  be  put  to 
schools  and  continued  at  them  until  they  are  liberally  and 
genteelly  educated." 

A  quaint  direction  was  that  of  George  Caplener,  a 
German  settler  in  The  Valley,  who  in  his  will  in  1773  de- 
sired that  his  two  oldest  sons  "  lorn  the  two  youngest  boys 
to  read  through  the  Salter." 


COLONIAL  MRGINL\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

III— TUTORS 

Many  of  the  larger  planters  employed  tutors  for  chil- 
dren who  were  not  sent  abroad  to  lie  educated,  and  some- 
times for  those  that  were,  during  their  tender  years.  They 
usually  "  kept  school  "  in  a  wing  of  the  great  house  or  in 
one  of  the  smaller  out-buildings  which  often  provided  not 
only  a  school-room  but  lodgings  for  the  tutor  and  some- 
times for  the  boys  of  the  family.  The  tutor  generally  had 
leave  to  increase  his  income  by  additions  to  the  school 
of  children  of  the  neighborhood — rich  or  poor — and  occa- 
sionally young  friends  or  relatives  of  the  family  from  too 
great  a  distance  to  come  and  go  each  day  were  taken  as 
guests  or  boarders  in  order  that  they  might  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  being  under  an  accomplished  teacher. 

The  tutors  were  educated  men — or  sometimes  women — 
from  the  mother  country,  or  from  other  colonies,  who  came 
to  Virginia  to  seek  a  livelihood,  or  residents  of  Virginia 
whose  only  fortune  was  a  small  or  great  store  of  learning. 
Sometimes  they  were  Englishmen  "  of  parts  "  in  such  hard 
luck  that  they  sold  themselves  into  servitude  to  keep  soul 
and  body  together.  Colonel  John  Carter,  of  "  Coroto- 
man,"  directed  in  his  will,  made  in  1669,  that  his  son  Robert 
— the  famous  "  King  "  Carter — be  well  educated  that  he 
might  be  equipped  to  manage  his  estate,  adding,  "  and  he 
is  to  have  a  man  or  youth  servant  bought  for  him  that  hath 
been  brought  up  in  the  Latin  school  and  that  he  (the 
servant)  shall  constantly  tend  upon  him,  not  only  to  teach 
him  his  books,  either  in  English  or  Latin,  according  to  his 
capacity  (for  my  will  is  that  he  shall  learn  both  English 
and  liatin,  and  to  write)  and  also  to  presen'e  him  from 
harm  and  doing  evil." 

Robert  Carter's  letters  show  that  he  was  at  one  time 
at  school  in  England. 

278 


H 


EDUCATION 


In  1774  John  Harrower,  a  young  married  man  of 
blameless  life,  of  the  Orkney  Islands,  after  a  desperate 
struggle  to  support  his  family,  took  ship  for  Virginia,  and 
sold  himself  for  a  term  of  years  to  Colonel  William  Dain- 
gerfield,  of  "  Belvidera,"  near  Fredericksburg.  His  diaiy, 
containing  copies  of  affectionate  letters  to  his  wife  and 
expressing  trust  in  God  through  all  of  his  misfortunes, 
shows  that  this  "  sen^ant "  tutor  was  treated  as  much  like 
a  member  of  the  family  at  "  Belvidera  "  as  was  Philip 
Fithian,  the  Princeton  divinity  student  at  "  Nomini  Hall." 
Xot  so  well  satisfied  was  John  Warden,  a  Scotchman, 
educated  at  Edinburgh,  and  "  a  good  scholar  in  Greek, 
Latin,  Philosophy,  and  Mathematics,"  who  in  1769  was  a 
tutor  for  Colonel  Thomas  Jones.  In  a  grumbling  letter 
to  a  brother  of  his  employer,  in  London,  he  complained 
that  though  he  was  much  better  treated  than  most  of  his 
profession,  he  found  he  was  "  less  looked  upon  as  a  Gentle- 
man in  Virginia  "  than  before  he  became  a  tutor  and  he 
was  "  much  at  a  loss  for  a  room  to  retire  to  at  night  to 
study." 

Colonel  Jones  replied  that  Mr.  Warden  was  "  put  to 
no  inconvenience  with  regard  to  a  place  to  retire  to  or  any- 
thing else,"  and  continued:  "  He  has  a  house  about  three 
hundred  yards  from  mine,  24  feet  square,  I  think,  with  two 
rooms,  one  liis  lodging  room  and  the  other  the  school  room, 
extremely  warm  and  light,  a  plank  floor,  plastered  and 
white-finished  walls,  a  brick  chimney  with  two  good  fire- 
places, has  furniture — as  good  a  bed  as  any  in  my  house, 
chairs,  bookcase,  &c.  and  a  boy  of  16  yrs.  attends  him  .  .  . 
he  has  candles  when  he  pleases  and  generally  burns  three 
large  mould  candles  of  myrtle  wax  and  tallow  in  six  nights, 
has  nobody  to  interrupt  him,  comes  to  the  house  by  day 
or  night  when  he  pleases,  is  company  for  every  Gent,  that 

279 


COLONIAL  MRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

visits  me  .  .  .  Fact  is  he  is  a  good  Tutor  and  a  good  sort 
of  man,  but  that  cursed  pride  so  inherent  in  these  people  is 
most  insufferable." 

Occasionally  the  position  of  tutor  was  a  stepping-stone 
to  becoming  a  planter,  as  in  the  case  of  one  employed  by 
William  Reynolds,  of  Northumberland,  in  1655,  who  in 
addition  to  his  board  and  lodging  was  to  have,  when  his 
three  years  of  teaching  were  over,  free  use  of  land  in  which 
to  plant  corn  and  tobacco  and  bams  in  which  to  store  his 
crops;  and  another  who,  in  1666,  was  paid  in  land  for 
giving  "  one  year's  schooling  "  to  the  daughter  of  Francis 
Browne  of  Rappahannock  County.^ 

Among  very  early  tutors  whose  names  have  been  pre- 
served were  Samuel  Motherhead,  employed  by  Nathaniel 
Pope,  in  1652;  John  Johnson,  by  John  Rogers,  in  1655; 
Robert  Jones,  by  John  Hansford,  in  1662;  Richard  Burk- 
land,  employed  by  Richard  Kcllam,  in  1663,  to  give  his 
daughter  lessons  in  reading  and  writing  and  casting 
accounts;  ]\Iar\'^  Coar,  employed  a  little  later  to  teach 
Martha  Willett;  Richard  Glover,  employed  by  Francis 
Browne;  ITenry  Spratt,  by  George  Ashwell,  in  1668; 
Catherine  Shrewsbury,  by  Richard  Tompkins,  in  1603; 
John  Waters,  to  teach  AVillinm  Tunstall,  in  169-4;  John 
Matts,  by  Charles  Leatherbiny,  in  1678.  Many  more 
might  Ix?  named  for  later  years."* 

In  1741  William  Beverley,  of  "  Blandtield,"  Essex 
County,  wi'ote  his  T^ondon  merchant  to  send  him  a  "  school- 
master "  to  teach  his  children  to  "  read,  write  and  cipher," 
adding  that  the  usual  salary  paid  in  Virginia  for  a  Scotch 


'  Bnice's  "  Institutional  History  of  Virginia  in  tlic  17th  Cen- 
tury," i,  324-. 

■*  Bnice's  "  Institutional  History  of  Virginia  in  the  17th  Cen- 
tury," 324,  329. 

280 


EDUCATION 


master  was  twenty  pounds  sterling,  with  board,  "  but  they 
commonly  teach  the  children  the  Scotch  dialect,  which  they 
never  can  wear  off." 

Here  is  a  letter  in  which  a  lively  little  schoolgirl,  INIaria 
Carter,  of  "  Sabine  Hall,"  tells  her  cousin  Maria  Carter, 
of  "  Cleve,"  about  her  daily  routine  under  a  tutor: 

March  25,  1756. 
My  Dear  Cousin : 

You  have  really  imposed  a  Task  upon  me  which  I  can  by  no 
means  perform  viz:  that  of  writing  a  merry  &  comical  Letter: 
how  shou'd  I,  my  dear,  that  am  ever  confined  either  at  School  or 
with  my  Grandmama  know  how  the  world  goes  on?  Now  I  will 
give  you  the  History  of  one  Day  the  Repetition  of  which  without 
variations  carries  me  through  the  three  hundred  and  sixty  five 
Days,  which  you  know  compleats  the  year.  Well  then  first  begin, 
I  am  awakened  out  of  a  sound  sleep  with  some  croaking  voice 
either  Patt^^'s,  MiUy*s,  or  some  other  of  our  Domestics  with  Miss 
Polly  Miss  Polly  get  up,  tis  time  to  rise,  Mr.  Price  is  down  stairs, 
&  tho'  I  hear  them  I  lie  quite  snugg  till  my  Grandmama  uses  her 
Voice,  then  up  I  get,  huddle  on  my  cloaths  &  down  to  Book,  then 
to  Breakfast,  then  to  School  again,  &  may  be  I  have  an  Hour  to 
my  self  before  Dinner,  then  the  Same  Story  over  again  till  twi- 
light, &  then  a  small  portion  of  time  before  I  go  to  rest,  and  so 
you  must  expect  notliing  from  me  but  that  I  am  Dear  Cousin, 
Most  Affectionately  Yours, 

Maria  Carter. 

Harry  Turner,  of  King  George  County,  directed  in 
his  will  that  his  son  Thomas  should  have  the  best  education 
to  be  gotten  in  Virginia.  His  father,  Thomas  Turner, 
who  outlived  him,  made  his  will  in  1757  directing  that  no 
expense  should  be  regarded  in  giving  not  only  little 
Thomas  but  all  his  grandsons  a  "  finished  education."  He 
wished  them  all  to  be  taught  by  the  same  tutor,  in  a  house 
to  be  fitted  up  for  them  on  his  estate,  and  four  negroes 
selected  to  wait  on  them. 

281 


EDUCATION 


IV— WILLIAM  AND  MARY  COLLEGE 

The  year  1660  saw  a  revival  of  interest  in  giving  Vir- 
ginians opportunities  of  higher  education  within  the  col- 
ony— originating  this  time  with  the  General  Assembly, 
which  proposed  to  establish  a  "  college  of  students  of  the 
liberal  arts."  Governor  Berkeley  and  members  of  the 
Council  headed  the  list  of  subscribers,  but  money  was 
scarce,  the  troubles  which  brought  on  Bacon's  Rebellion 
were  already  brewing,  and  the  project  fell  through. 

In  1689  affairs  of  both  Church  and  State  in  Virginia 
fell  mider  the  control  of  enthusiasts  for  education  when 
Francis  Nicholson  was  sent  over  as  Governor  and  James 
Blair  as  Commissary  to  the  Bishop  of  London — which 
placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  clergy.  The  result  was  a 
speedy  revival  of  the  "  design  of  a  free  school  and  college  " 
whose  special  objects  were  to  be  the  education  of  the  col- 
onists' sons,  the  education  and  conversion  of  the  Indians, 
and  the  training  of  ministers  to  fill  the  parish  churches. 

The  Assembly  responded  with  quick  sympathj^  plans 
to  raise  monej'^  in  the  colony  were  made,  and  Doctor  Blair 
was  chosen  as  agent  for  the  projected  college  and  sent  to 
England  to  procure  a  charter  and  endowment.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  interesting  their  Majesties  King  William  and 
Queen  Mary,  as  well  as  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and 
other  dignitaries.  When  introduced  to  the  King  he  knelt 
down  and,  presenting  the  petition  with  which  the 
Assembly  had  entrusted  him,  said : 

"  Please,  your  Majesty,  here  is  an  humble  supplication 
from  the  government  of  Virginia  for  your  jMajesty's 
charter  to  erect  a  free  school  and  college  for  the  education 
of  their  youth." 

"  Sir,"  replied  his  Majesty,  "  I  am  glad  that  the  Colony 

283 


COLONIAL  \1RGL\L\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

is  upon  so  good  a  design,  and  will  promote  it  to  the  best 
of  my  power." 

After  being  held  up  by  much  red  tape  the  charter  for 
the  College  of  William  and  Mary  was  signed  in  February, 
1693,  and  Doctor  Blair  set  sail  for  Virginia  armed  not  only 
with  the  coveted  paper,  but  with  sufficient  endowment  to 
make  the  long  delayed  institution  something  more  than  a 
castle  in  the  air. 

A  site  "  near  the  church  in  ^Middle  Plantation  old 
fields  "  was  selected,  and  the  plan,  "  designed  to  be  an 
entire  scjuare  when  comjjleted,"  was  drawn  by  Sir  Chris- 
topher Wren;  but  not  until  1697  were  the  front  and  the 
north  sides  of  the  square  finished.  During  its  earliest  years 
the  college  was  only  a  grammar  school  where  boys  were 
taught  reading  and  writing,  Latin  and  Greek.  Its  faculty 
consisted  of  tlie  president,  Doctor  Blair;  the  grammar  mas-  . 
ter,  Mr.  ^lungo  Inglis,  who  was  an  accomplished  Master  of  t 
Arts;  an  usher  who  assisted  him  and  a  "  writing  master." 
In  1698  a  committee  composed  of  mcml>ers  of  the  faculty 
and  four  students  addressed  a  letter  to  the  "  ^Speaker  and 
Gentlemen  of  the  House  of  Burgesses,"  thanking  them 
in  the  name  of  the  "  President,  Master  and  scholars  of  \ 
William  and  Mary  "  for  gracing  the  college  exercises  "  with 
their  own  countenance  and  presence  on  ]May  Day." 

Tlie  first  regular  commencement  was  held  in  1700,  and 
besides  many  planters  with  their  families  and  some  of  the 
Indians  from  the  country  around,  it  is  written  that  visitors 
came  in  sloops  from  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Mary- 
land. 

iVfter  the  long  succession  of  discouragements  and  post- 
ponements a  college  in  Virginia  seemed  now  to  have  made  i, 
a  good  beginning,  but  on  an  October  night  in  1705  a  fire 
broke  out  in  the  l)uil(ling  and  tlie  hope  and  work  of  years 

iS4 


EDUCATION 


went  up  in  flames.  However,  the  friends  of  education 
plucked  up  courage  again.  Though  the  building  was  gone, 
tlie  faculty  and  students  remained.  Doctor  Blair  bestirred 
himself  to  raise  more  money  and  declined  to  accept  his 
salary  as  President  for  some  years,  the  Assembly  levied 
extra  taxes,  and  William  and  Mary  was  rebuilt  on  its 
original  walls.  The  restoration  was  not  complete  until 
1723,  but  the  classes  had  been  continued  and  the  college 
grew  and  developed  in  the  meantime. 

In  1711  a  professor  of  natural  philosophy  and  mathe- 
matics was  engaged.  In  1712  there  were  twenty  Indian 
boys  in  attendance — among  them  the  son  of  the  queen  of 
Pamunkey  and  the  son  of  the  king  of  the  Nottoways. 

In  1723  the  Brafferton  Building  was  erected  on  the 
campus  to  the  right  of  the  main  building,  out  of  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  Brafferton  estate  in  England — which  was 
part  of  the  endowment  of  the  college — and  devoted  to  the 
Indian  school,  and  it  was  hoped  that  the  Indian  youths 
christianized  and  educated  would  become  missionaries  to 
their  own  people,  but  instead  they  returned  to  idolatry 
and  barbarism. 

In  1729  the  college  could  boast  of  a  president  and  six 
professors,  and  in  1732  a  commodious  home  for  the  presi- 
dent was  built. 

But  the  picture  has  its  dark  side.  Almost  from  the 
beginning  William  and  Mary  was  embroiled  in  contentions. 
Doctor  Blair  and  Governor  Nicholson — its  earnest  pro- 
moters and  friends,  but  both  of  them  men  of  unyielding  will 
— soon  fell  out  over  it,  and  later  the  able  but  stubborn 
President  quarrelled  also  with  the  successors  of  the  able 
but  stubborn  Governor.  Nevertheless,  the  college  became 
and  remained  the  pet  and  pride  of  Virginia.  As  early  as 
1694  John  Mann,  of  Gloucester  County,  bequeathed  his 

19  285 


COLONIAL  \1RGL\IA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

land — if  his  family  should  become  extinct — "  for  ye  main- 
tenance of  poore  children  at  ye  college."  Many  others 
from  tliat  time  on  made  it  gifts  or  showed  their  regard 
for  it  by  directing  in  their  wills  that  their  sons  be  educated 
there,  and  a  long  roll  of  distinguished  Virginians  and 
Americans  of  the  Colonial  period,  and  after  it,  have 
claimed  old  William  and  Marv  as  their  Alma  Mater. 


EDUCATION 


V— STUDYING  ABROAD 

An  amazing  number  of  Virginia  boys  and  a  few  girls 
were  sent  to  England  and  Scotland  to  school  or  college  or 
both — the  more  amazing  when  the  perils  of  the  voyage 
and  the  long  waits  between  letters  to  and  from  their  parents 
are  considered.  And  new  perils  awaited  them  over  sea — 
smallpox  was  rampant  in  Great  Britain.  Michel  greatly 
exaggerated  when  writing,  in  1701,  of  the  education  of 
Virginians  abroad,  he  says,  "  Not  many  of  them  came  back. 
Most  of  them  died  of  smallpox."  But  in  1724  we  find 
Hugh  Jones  writing  that  more  of  them  would  be  sent  over 
"  were  they  not  afraid  of  smallpox  which  most  commonly 
proves  fatal  to  them." 

Lord  Adam  Gordon  says  in  his  journal  that  most  of 
the  gentlemen  he  met  during  his  visit  to  Virginia  a  few 
years  before  the  Revolution  were  educated  "  at  home  " — 
meaning  in  England. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  one  of  the  reasons  given 
for  the  attempted  founding  of  the  East  Indian  School, 
in  1621,  was  that  planters  had  been  "constrained"  to 
send  their  children  "  home  "  to  be  taught.  The  destruction 
of  the  records  makes  it  impossible  to  say  who  any  of  these 
earliest  Virginia  students  abroad  and  many  of  the  later 
ones  were,  and — with  the  exception  of  Oxford — such 
records  of  English  institutions  of  learning  as  have  been 
preserved  have  not  been  fully  examined.  When  they  are, 
it  is  certain  that  the  number — already  large — of  Colonial 
Virginia  boys  known  to  have  been  educated  at  the  famous 
schools  and  great  universities  of  the  IMother  Country  will 
be  greatly  increased.  Among  the  earliest  of  these  stu- 
dents abroad  of  whom  we  have  any  testimony  were  Thomas 
Willoughby,  of  Lower  Norfolk,  who  was  at  the  Merchant 
Tailors'  School  in  London,  in  1644,  and  Augustine  War- 

287 


COLONIAL  \  IRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

ner,  Jr.,  of  Gloucester — an  ancestor  of  Washington — who 
was  there  in  1G.58. 

John  Lee,  of  Westmoreland,  entered  Queen's  College, 
Oxford,  in  1G58,  and  was  graduated  as  a  Bachelor  of  Arts 
in  1GG2.  He  presented  his  college  with  a  silver  cup  bearing 
the  Lee  arms,  which  may  still  be  seen  there. 

A  number  of  Virginia  families  sent  generation  after 
generation  of  boys  to  school  or  college  in  England.  For 
instance  Ralph  Wormeley,  Secretary  of  State  of  the  Col- 
ony, entered  Oriel  College,  Oxford,  in  1G65,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1701,  his  sons, 
Ralph  and  John,  were  being  educated  abroad.  Interesting 
letters  from  "  King  "  Carter  in  regard  to  these  boys,  who 
were  his  nephews — or  "  cousins  "  as  he  calls  them — and 
who  became  his  wards,  have  been  preserved.  In  one  of 
these,  written  in  1702  to  Thomas  Corbin,  the  London 
merchant,  he  says : 

"  Am  glad  to  hear  my  Coz'ns  Ralph  Wormeley  and 
Jno  Wormeley  thrive  so  fast  in  their  learning."  A  month 
later  he  suggests,  "  If  you  can  Retrench  their  Expenses 
what  Reasonably  you  can  twill  be  a  kindness  to  the  Boyes," 
adding  that  he  had  noticed  when  he  was  at  school  in 
England  himself  that  "  those  Boys  that  wore  the  finest 
close  and  had  ye  most  money  in  their  pockets  still  went 
away  with  the  least  Icarninof  in  tlieir  heads.  Yctt  I  am 
nott  for  too  narrow  a  keeping." 

In  a  letter  to  Corbin  four  years  later  he  writes:  "  I  am 
sorry  Mons'r  Ralph  is  angry  with  us,  if  it  be  for  ordering 
liis  keeping  witliin  Suitable  limits  wee  must  take  no  notice 
of  it,  he  will  in  time  see  bis  own  folly." 

A  third  Ralph  W(M-meley,  the  grandson  of  Colonel 
Carter's  ward,  went  to  Eton  in  17.57,  and  afterward  to 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge.     An  interesting  portrait  of 

2SS 


EDUCATION 


if 


l| 


liiiii  in  cap  and  gown,  and  many  books  containing  liis 
armorial  book-plate,  remain. 

Colonel  John  Catlett,  of  Rappahannock,  who  died 
about  1070,  directed  in  his  will  that  his  children  be  educated 
in  England  out  of  his  estate  there,  and  John  Savage,  of 
Northampton,  who  made  his  will  in  1678,  was  another  of 
the  many — early  and  late — who  directed  that  a  son,  or  sons, 
be  educated  in  England  without  naming  any  special  school. 

Sometimes  mere  infants  made  the  long,  difficult  voyage 
for  the  sake  of  an  English  education.  Letters  of  William 
Byrd,  the  first,  who  was  then  living  in  Henrico  County, 
on  the  frontier,  show  that  in  1683  his  son  William — nine 
years  old — and  his  daughter  Susan — about  six — were  at 
school  in  England  and  being  watched  over  by  their  grand- 
parents, the  Warham  Horsmandens,  of  Purleigh,  in  Essex, 
and  that  in  1685  plans  were  making  to  send  over  his  baby 
girl  Ursula,  affectionately  nicknamed  "  Little  Nutty,"' 
who  was  only  four.  In  March  of  that  year  he  wrote 
"  Father  Horsmanden,"  as  he  called  his  father-in-law: 

"  We  received  yours  by  JNIr.  Broadnax,  which  was  a 
great  satisfaction  to  hear  of  you  and  our  Children's  Wel- 
fare. My  wife  hath  all  this  year  urged  mee  to  send  little 
Nutty  home  to  you,  to  which  I  have  at  last  condescended 
and  hope  you'll  please  excuse  the  trouble.  I  must  confesse 
she  could  learn  nothing  good  here  in  a  great  family  of 
negroes." 

On  the  same  day  he  wrote  "  Will": 

"  Dear  Son,  I  received  your  letter  and  am  glad  to  hear 
you  are  with  so  good  a  jNIaster  who  I  hope  will  see  you 
improve  your  time  and  that  you  bee  carefuU  to  serve  God 
as  you  ought,  without  which  you  cannot  expect  to  doe  well 
here  or  hereafter." 

Ursula  was  sent  over  in  charge  of  a  maid  and  she  and 

289 


M 


EDUCATION 


a  lawyer,  one  a  divine,  one  a  physician,  chirurgcon,  or 
mariner,  in  the  Secretary's  office  or  any  other  lawful  em- 
ployment their  inclination  leads  them  to;  but  rather  to  the 
axe  or  the  hoe  than  to  be  suffered  to  live  in  idleness  and 
extravagancy." 

Robert  Boiling,  of  "  Chellowe,"  Buckingham  County, 
was  at  school  in  Wakefield,  Yorkshire,  under  the  "  cele- 
brated Mr.  John  Clarke,"  from  1751  to  1755,  and  accord- 
ing to  his  kinsman,  John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke,  wrote 
equally  well  in  Latin,  French,  and  Italian.  Theodorick 
Bland,  grandson  of  the  little  Richard  Bland,  whose  cow 
went  to  boarding  school  with  him  in  Henrico,  was  at  school 
and  college  abroad  for  eleven  consecutive  years.  In  1753 
when  he  was  eleven,  he  was  sent  to  Wakefield.  Five  years 
later  he  was  still  there  and  the  head-master  reported  that  he 
was  in  the  second  class  and  read  Xenophon  and  Horace 
with  tolerable  ease,  but  like  most  of  the  boys  composed 
wretchedly,  especially  in  Latin.  In  1761  he  went  to  Edin- 
burgh to  study  medicine. 

Among  the  Bland  papers  are  "  Articles  relating  to 
the  Virginia  Club — 1761,"  at  Edinburgh.  All  members 
were  to  be  Virginia  boys,  who  wished  to  take  a  degree  in 
medicine,  and  the  club  was  "  solely  for  the  improvement 
of  the  members  in  anatomy  (which  is  justly  said  to  be  the 
bones  of  Physic) ."  The  same  papers  contain  a  letter  in 
Bland's  handwriting,  from  the  Virginia  Medical  Students 
at  Edinburgh,  to  the  Council  and  Burgesses  of  Virginia, 
asking  that  laws  be  passed  to  prevent  unlicensed  persons 
from  practising  physic  in  the  colony. 

Peter  Hog,  of  Augusta  County,  in  The  Valley,  directed 
in  his  will,  made  in  1773,  that  his  sons  be  sent  to  Edinburgh 
to  be  educated. 

John  and  Landon  Carter,  sons  of  Charles  Carter  of 

291 


COLONIAL  MRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

"  Cleve,"  were  hcin^  cducjited  in  England  in  1764  when 
their  father  made  his  will,  directing  that  "  They  shall  con- 
tinue at  school  to  learn  the  languages,  mathematics,  phi- 
losophy, dancing  and  fencing  till  they  are  well  accom- 
plished and  of  proper  age  to  be  bound  to  some  reputable, 
sober,  discreet  practising  attorney,  till  they  arrive  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years  and  nine  months,"  when  they  were  to 
return  to  Virginia.  lie  desired  that  a  suitable  present  be 
made  to  the  gentleman  to  whom  they  were  bound,  and  that 
they  be  "  by  their  masters  permitted  to  attend  Commons 
so  as  not  to  interfere  with  their  studies  and  the  practice 
and  business  of  an  attorney,"  and  added: 

*'  I  do  earnestly  desire  their  guardians,  as  much  as  in 
their  power  lies,  to  prevent  extravagance  by  limiting  their 
pocket  expenses,  after  they  arrive  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
to  a  sum  not  exceeding  fifty  pounds  sterling  money  per 
annum,  as  their  fortunes  depend  entirely  upon  the  seasons 
of  a  most  variable  climate." 

A  suit  in  King  George  County  records  shows  that  John 
Taliaferro,  Jr.,  was  in  England  for  his  education  for  three 
years  from  1764  to  1766,  inclusive. 

Here  is  as  complete  a  list,  with  dates  of  entrance,  as 
I  am  at  present  able  to  make  of  Colonial  Virginia  boys  at 
college  abroad: 

At  Cambridge: 

(Trinity  College)  John  Carter,  1714;  Wilson  Cary, 
1721;  Daniel  Taylor,  1724;  John  Ambler,  1753;  Robert 
Beverley,  1753;  Ralph  Wormeley,  17.57;  Thomas  Smith, 
1759;  George  Riddell,  1750.  (Christ's  College)  William 
Spencer,  1684;  Joseph  Ilolt,  1716;  Gawin  Corbin,  1756; 
Thomas  Nelson,  17()1 ;  George  Fairfax  Eee,  1772.  (Cains 
College)  John  Baylor,  1722;  Eewis  Burwell,  1729;  John 


EDUCATION 


Baylor,  Jr.,  1772.  (Pembroke  College)  Thomas  Clayton, 
about  1720;  John  Brunskill,  1752. 

At  Oxford: 

(Oriel  College)  Ralph  Wormelej%  1665;  Christopher 
Robinson,  1721;  his  cousin  Christopher  Robinson,  1723; 
Chichley  Thacker,  1724 ;  Bartholomew  Yates,  1732 ;  Robert 
Yates,  1733;  Peter  Robinson,  1737;  William  Robinson, 
1737.  (Queen's  College)  John  Lee,  1658;  John  Span, 
1705;  WiUiam  Stith,  1724.  (St.  John's  College)  Mann 
Page,  1709;  (Clu'ist's  Church  College)  Henry  Fitzhugh, 
1722;  (Balliol  College)  Lewis  Burwell,  1765;  (Brasenose 
College)  Bartholomew  Yates,  1695. 

At  Edinburgh: 

Valentine  Peyton,  1754;  James  Blair,  George  Gilmer, 
Arthur  Lee,  William  Bankhead,  Theodorick  Bland  and 
John  Field,  in  1761;  James  Tapscott  and  Corbin  Griffin, 
1765;  Cyrus  Griffin,  about  1767;  George  Steptoe,  1767; 
Walter  Jones  and  Joseph  Goodwin,  1769;  Archibald 
Campbell,  John  M.  Gait,  James  McClurg  and  John 
Ravenscroft,  1770;  Isaac  Hall,  1771;  William  Ball,  1773; 
John  Griffin  and  Philip  Turpin,  1774;  Lawrence  Brooke, 
1776;  Richard  Bland,  date  unknown. 

At  the  :Middle  Temple: 

William  Byrd,  the  second,  1690;  Peyton  Randolph 
(first  President  of  the  Continental  Congress),  1739; 
George  Carter,  about  1740;  John  Randolph,  1745;  Jolin 
Blair,  1755;  Gawin  Corbin,  1756;  William  Fauntleroy, 
1760;  Gustavus  Scott,  1767;  Henry  Lee  Ball,  1769; 
Arthur  Lee,  1770;  Walter  Atchison  and  Cyrus  Griffin, 
1771 ;  Henry  Lee  and  Joseph  Ball  Downman,  1773. 

At  the  Inner  Temple: 

Philip  Alexander,  1760;  Alexander  White,  1762; 
Philip  Ludwell  Lee,  about  1747;  Lewis  Burwell,  1765. 

293 


COLONIAL  MRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

iVt  Gray's  Inn: 

Henry  Perrott,  1074-;  Sir  John  Randolph,  171o; 
Joseph  liall,  1720. 

At  King's  College,  Aberdeen: 

Gustavus  Scott,  176.5;  John  Scott,  1768. 

Many  more  boys,  of  course,  attended  the  various 
schools.  They  went  in  goodly  number  to  Wakefield,  in 
Yorkshire;  Putney  Grammar  School,  Mile  End  School, 
near  London ;  the  Merchant  Tailors'  School,  London ;  St. 
Bees  Grammar  School,  Wood  P^nd  Grammar  School, 
Scotland;  Dalston,  Harrow,  Appleby,  Winchester,  Leeds 
and  p],ton. 

Augustine  Washington — father  of  George — and  his 
sons,  Augustine  and  Lawrence,  were  at  school  at  Appleby. 

Amonjir  those  who  are  known  to  have  been  at  P^ton  are 
Mann  Page,  170(5;  Lewis  Burwell,  17'2o;  Arthur  Lee, 
17.5;3;  Ralph  ^Vormeley,  17o7;  James  Burwell,  Philip  Lud- 
well  Grymes,  John  Randolph  Grymes,  Alexander  Spots- 
wood  and  John  Spotswood,  all  in  1760;  Beverley  Ran- 
dolph and  William  Randolph,  1762. 

In  1769  the  "  Academy  at  Leeds,  York  Coimty,  Eng- 
land, Mr.  Aaron  Grimshaw,  Master,"  advertised  for  pupils 
in  the  Virginia  Gazette. 


XI 
BOOKS 


p  T  least  two  of  the  first  comers  to 
Virginia  in  1607  are  known  to 
have  brought  books  with  them. 
Smith's  "  Historie,"  describing  the 
bm'ning  of  Jamestown  in  the  winter 
of  that  year  says: 
"  Good  Master  Hunt  our  Preach- 
er lost  all  his  Library." 

In  Jmie,  1608,  President  Wingfield,  in  defending  him- 
self from  the  charge  that  he  was  an  atheist  because  he 
"  carryed  not  a  Bible  with  him,"  said  that  he  had  "  sorted 
many  books  "  to  take  to  Virginia,  among  them  a  Bible, 
but  could  not  say  whether  it  was — like  others  he  had  missed 
— "  Ymbeasiled  "  from  the  trunk  in  which  they  were 
packed  before  he  left  England,  or  "  mislayed "  by  his 
servants. 

The  inventory  made  in  1626,  of  Parson  Bucke,  who 
officiated  at  the  first  marriage  and  the  first  christening 
at  Jamestown,  mentions  this  library,  and  doubtless  others 
of  the  educated  men  who  came  over  early  brought  books. 
At  least  one  of  them,  George  Sandys,  Treasurer  of  the 
colony  in  the  early  sixteen-twenties,  was  the  author  of 
highly  praised  works  of  the  day  in  poetry  and  prose — 
notably  his  "  Travels,"  his  metrical  version  of  the  Psalms, 
and  his  translations  of  Ovid's  IMetamorphoses  and  the  first 
book  of  the  ^Eneid,  which  were  written  at  Jamestown  soon 
after  the  Massacre  and  published  in  England,  first  in 
1626,  and  later,  in  folio,  and  richly  illustrated,  in  1632. 

The  student  is  again  handicapped  by  absence  of  records 
for  the  early  years,  and  owing  to  the  inaccessibility  of  many 
of  those  that  have  been  preserved  few  of  them  have  been 

295 


COLONIAL  MRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

thoroughly  searched,  hut  examples  from  Alhemarle,  West- 
moreland, Amherst,  Middlesex  and  other  counties  far  re- 
moved from  each  other  show  how  widespread  was  the  own- 
ership of  books.  My  own  notes  furnish  proof  of  six 
hundred  collections,  varying  in  size  from  two  or  three 
volumes  to  several  thousand. 

The  Bible  and  Prayer  Book  were  evidently  in  nearly 
every  home,  while  other  books,  from  "  a  parcel,"  valued 
at  a  shilling  or  two,  to  "  a  library  "  worth  many  pounds 
sterling,  were  bequeathed  by  a  great  number  of  those 
who  made  wills  and  named  in  the  inventories  of  a  great 
number  of  those  who  left  goods  worth  appraising.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  a  parcel  refers  here  to  a  lot  or  quantity, 
not  to  a  package. 

In  many  instances  no  titles  are  given,  but,  where  they 
are,  most  of  the  collections  show  a  preponderance  of  re- 
ligious works,  a  good  percentage  of  history,  travel,  science, 
law,  and  philosophy,  a  good  percentage  of  the  classics  and 
of  French  and  Spanish  books,  and  a  good  percentage  of 
Knglish  literature.  Here  are  a  few  characteristic  samples 
from  early  collections: 

Doctor  John  Holloway,  of  Northampton  County,  be- 
queathed, in  1643,  all  his  physic  and  surgery  books,  all  his 
Latin  and  Greek  books  and  his  Greek  Testament  in  folio. 
In  164>5  Arthur  Smith,  of  Isle  of  ^Vight,  simply  bequeathed 
"  all  "  his  ])ooks,  and  was  one  of  many  who  thus  vaguely 
described  their  libraries.  Michael  Sparke,  stationer,  of 
London,  in  his  will  made  in  1053,  gave  to  Virginia  and 
Barbadoes,  each,  one  hundred  copies  of  "  the  Second  part 
of  Crums  of  Comfort  with  groanes  of  the  Spirite  and 
Ilankerchieffes  of  wet  eies,  ready  bound  to  be  distributed 
amongst  the  ])oore  children  there  that  can  read."  Poor 
little  children  of  Virginia  and  Bnrhadoes! 

290 


^" 


V- 

■r 


<Jii         V 


I 


^» 


^  ■ 


^ 


?^ 


^ 


BOOKS 

In  1655  William  Brocas,  of  Lancaster  County,  left 
a  parcel  of  old  torn  books  "  most  of  them  Spanish,  Italyan 
and  Latin,"  appraised  at  a  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco.  In 
1669  Colonel  John  Carter,  of  "  Corotoman,"  bequeathed 
his  wife  "  David's  Tears,  Byfield's  Treatise,  The  Whole 
Duty  of  ]Man  and  her  own  books."  Poor  Mrs.  Carter!  In 
1690  his  son  John  left  books  whose  sixty-three  titles  in- 
cluded works  in  English,  French,  Spanish,  Latin,  and 
Greek.  In  the  small  collection  of  books  left  by  Matthew 
Hubard,  of  York  County,  in  1670,  were  John  Smith's 
"  Historic  of  Virginia,"  Ben  Jonson's  "  Remains,"  Pur- 
chas's  "  Pilgrims,"  Donne's  "  Poems,"  and  "  Astrea,  a 
French  Romance." 

The  inventory  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Willoughby  of  Lower 
Xorfolk  County,  1674,  describes  "  a  parcell  of  books  "  in 
her  room  appraised  at  fifteen  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco. 
They  were  fifty-six  in  number  and  included  religious 
works — among  them  "  A  Sweet  Posie  for  God's  Saints," 
essays — among  them  Montaigne's;  travels — among  them 
Sandys';  history,  biography,  astronomy,  mathematics, 
some  of  the  works  of  Virgil,  Ovid,  and  Cicero,  "  a  book  of 
Latin  verse,"  and  iE sop's  Fables. 

John  Baskerville,  of  York,  left  in  1675  "  a  parcel  of 
English  books,"  appraised  at  three  pounds  sterling,  and 
"  a  parcel  of  Latin  books,"  at  one  pound. 

James  Porter,  of  Lower  IS^orfolk,  seems  to  have  been 
an  author,  for  in  1684  he  left  forty-two  books  and  twelve 
manuscripts. 

In  1690  William  Byrd,  the  first,  was  evidently  laying 
tlie  foundation  of  the  noted  "  Westover  "  library.  In  that 
year  he  spent  for  books  thirty-five  pounds  and  fourteen 
shillings — a  sum  equal  to  over  five  hundred  dollars  to- 
day.    In  1691  William  Fitzhugh,  of  the  remote  frontier 

297 


COLONIAL  VIRGLMA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

county  of  Stafford,  wrote  to  his  brother  who  was  on  a  visit 
to  Kn^hmd  to  brin^  him  the  third  part  of  "  Rusliwortli's 
Collections,"  and  "  Cornelius  Agrippa's  Occult  Philoso- 
phy, in  English  if  it  can  be  had,  if  not  in  Latin,"  and 
added  "  some  of  the  newest  books  if  they  be  ingenious,  will 
be  mighty  welcome."  Among  other  additions  to  his  large 
library.  Colonel  Fitzhugh  ordered  from  London,  in  1695, 
Virgil  in  English,  and  Llorace,  Juvenal,  and  Perseus  in 
Latin  and  p],nglish.  In  1701  he  bequeathed  his  "  study 
of  books  "  to  his  two  sons. 

In  inOO  Samuel  Pall,  of  Lower  Norfolk,  left  a  hundred 
and  three  books.  In  1G92  Thomas  Osborne,  of  Henrico, 
left  "  Josephus  in  quarto  "  and  half  a  dozen  other  "  old 
books." 

In  1002  John  Sandford,  of  Princess  Anne  County,  left, 
in  one  parcel,  twenty-three  Latin  and  Greek  books,  in  an- 
other   twenty-five    English    books,    and   in    another    five     I 
Hebrew  books  and  a  Greek  Testament. 

In  1693  Nathaniel  Hill,  a  sdioolmaster  of  Llenrico 
County,  on  the  frontier,  left  among  his  little  collection  of 
twenty-three  volumes  a  large  Bible  and  "  sixteen  play 
books."  Henry  Randolph  of  the  same  county  left  in  1693 
twenty-nine  folio  volumes,  eighty-seven  quartos  and  fifty 
octavos — the  whole  appraised  at  fourteen  pounds  ten 
shillings,  amounting  to  at  least  three  hundred  dollars  to- 
day. In  1()97  Captain  John  Cocke,  of  Princess  Anne,  left 
among  his  thirty-odd  books — for  the  most  part  historical 
and  religious  works — "  The  History  of  a  Coy  Lady."  In 
1()98  Jolm  Washington,  of  Westmoreland,  left  "  a  parcel 
of  old  books  "  valued  at  two  hundred  })ounds  of  tobacco. 
In  1699  Arthur  S])icer,  of  Richmond  County,  left  a  good- 
sized  library — mainly  law.  religious,  and  I^atin  books,  hut 
among  them  "  Icon  Rasilice,"  Bacon's  "  Advancement  of 

298 


HOOKS 

Learning,"  Kaleigh's  "  History  of  the  World,"  and  a  copy 
of  "  Macbeth." 

As  time  went  on,  libraries  became  larger  and  more 
varied  in  interest,  and  many  Virginians  kept  in  close  touch 
with  English  booksellers.     Robert  Beverley,  writing  of         .; 
his  visit  to  England  in  1703,  speaks  of  "  my  bookseller  " 
as  familiarly  as  if  he  lived  in  London,  and  about  seventy        . 
years  later  Jefferson  says:  iw-im,,^^.,..,-,,^,.,^^,^.^ 

"  I  wrote  to  Waller  last  June  for  forty-five  pounds 
sterling  worth  of  books.  I  have  written  to  Benson  Fearon 
for  another  parcel  of  nearly  the  same  amount." 

In  the  eighteenth  century,  as  in  the  seventeenth,  it  is 
often  impossible  to  get,  from  the  reference,  any  idea  of 
the  size  or  character  of  a  library.  For  instance,  George 
Lee,  of  Westmoreland,  in  1761,  bequeathed  his  son  George 
Fairfax  Lee  "  all  his  mother's  and  my  books,"  and  Wil- 
loughby  Xewton,  of  the  same  county,  in  1767,  as  vaguely 
left  his  son  John  "  all "  his  books. 

Others  were  more  definite,  among  them  Wilson  Gary 
who  in  1772  directed  his  executors  to  *'  send  to  England 
for  the  following  books,  all  lettered  and  bound  in  calf, 
viz.:  the-  Spectator,  Pamela,  Clarissa,  and  Sir  Charles 
Grandison,  which  books  I  give  to  my  granddaughter  Sarah 
Gary." 

Susannah  Livingston,  in  making  her  will  in  1745,  said: 

"  I  give  to  Thomas  INIatthews  the  large  Bible  now  in 
my  house  (for  the  good  of  his  soul)." 

Innumerable  inventories  merely  mention  "  a  parcel  of 
books,"  like  that  of  Charles  Wortham,  of  ^Middlesex,  1743, 
whose  parcel  is  valued  at  eighteen  shillings.  By  reason 
of  the  varying  degrees  of  knowledge — or  ignorance — of 
the  appraisers  the  valuation  gives  no  clue  to  the  number 
or  character  of  books  in  these  parcels. 

299 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

In  1776  William  Blackwell  and  William  Venable,  of 
Albemarle,  each  left  "  a  quantity  of  books."  One  "  quan- 
tity "  is  appraised  at  twenty-two  shillings  sixpence,  and 
the  other  at  thirteen  shillings — and  the  reader  is  left  guess- 
ing. When  the  number  of  books  is  given,  the  valuation  is 
often  distractingly  variable,  though  there  is  occasionally 
some  regard  to  proportion,  as  where  William  Kilpin,  of 
Middlesex,  1717,  is  said  to  have  had  twenty  books  worth 
one  pound  three  shillings,  and  those  of  John  Warnock, 
of  the  same  county,  representing  seventy-eight  titles,  are 
appraised  at  four  pounds  seven. 

^Nlany  of  the  collections  of  medium  size  were  valuable 
and  interesting.  Among  the  books  of  Hancock  Lee, 
Northumberland  County,  1710,  were  the  first,  second,  and 
third  parts  of  "Pilgrim's  Progress";  among  those  of 
Leonard  Tarrent,  P],sscx,  1718,  was  "  Locke  on  the  Human 
Understanding."  John  Dunlop,  P21izabeth  City,  17*28,  had 
twenty-nine  volumes,  including  "  The  Spectator,"  "  The 
Rape  of  the  Lock,"  and  "  The  Constant  Couple."  Mark 
Bannerman,  jNIiddlesex,  1728,  had  fifty-three  volumes; 
Charles  Pasture,  Henrico,  1730,  had  seventy-two  volumes, 
including  "  Clarendon's  History,"  "  The  Gentleman's 
Magazine  for  1735,"  and  Pope's  "Letters";  Joseph 
Brock,  Spotsylvania  County,  1743,  eighty-one  books;  and 
William  Phillips,  Ksscx,  1747,  a  collection  in  which  sixty 
titles  were  represented,  among  them  some  Greek  books. 

John  Buckner,  Stafford,  1747,  had  eighty  volumes; 
Sterling  Clack,  Brunswick  County,  1751,  books  valued  at 
five  pounds  seven  shillings — including  the  works  of  Pope 
and  iVddison;  and  \Villiam  Kennon,  Clicsterfield,  1757, 
books  appraised  at  ten  pounds.  George  Iledgman,  Staf- 
ford, 17r)(),  was  one  of  the  early  Virginia  readers  of  "  Tom 
Jones." 

300 


BOOKS 

Among  the  occasional  inventories  of  libraries  owned  by 
women  was  that  of  JNIailana  Drayton,  of  INIiddlesex,  who 
in  1700  had,  among  other  volmnes,  eleven  French  books, 
"  a  parcel  "  of  novels,  "  a  parcel  "  of  Latin  books  and  six 
picture  books. 

Edward  McDonald,  of  Augusta  County,  in  1760, 
Robert  Burgess  of  Stafford,  in  1761,  and  Richard  Tutt  of 
Spotsylvania,  in  1767,  had  "  The  Spectator  "  among  their 
books.  And  those  of  John  Pleasants,  of  Cumberland, 
1766,  included  "  The  Spectator,"  "  Paradise  Lost,"  "  Para- 
dise Regained,"  and  Quarles'  "  Emblems."  William 
Walker,  Stafford,  1767,  had  among  his  sixty-four 
volumes  Swift,  Pope,  "The  Spectator,"  "  Tatler,"  and 
"  Guardian." 

One  of  the  larger  libraries  in  the  colony  was  that  of 
Ralph  Wormeley,  of  INIiddlesex,  1701,  whose  inventory 
names  upwards  of  five  hundred  book  titles,  including  Bui'- 
net's  "  History  of  the  Reformation,"  "  fifty  comedies  and 
tragedies  in  folio,"  Hooker's  "  Ecclesiastical  Polity,"  the 
works  of  Bacon,  Fuller,  Davenant,  Jeremy  Taylor, 
Quarles,  Waller,  Montaigne,  Baxter,  Gower,  Burton, 
Camden's  "  Britania,"  Herbert's  "  Poems,"  "  Every  Man 
in  His  Humor,"  "  Hudibras,"  and  "  Don  Quixote." 

In  the  same  year  "  Mr.  Sehutt,"  a  Huguenot,  of  Hen- 
rico County,  left  a  large  Bible,  a  "  great  parcel  of  books," 
two  bales  of  books,  and  a  trunk  of  unbound  books. 

Thomas  Lawson,  of  Princess  Anne,  1704,  had  a  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  volumes  besides  "  some  parcels  of  old 
books."  Richard  Lee,  of  Westmoreland,  1715,  had  dis- 
tinctly a  scholar's  librarj^  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-two 
titles,  containing  works  in  Latin,  Greek,  and  French  and 
some  Italian — for  in  the  list  appear  the  "  Pastor  Fido  " 
and  "  Orlando  Furioso."    Among  his  English  books  were 

20  301 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Lord  Bacon's  works.  Godfrey  Pole,  Northampton,  1716, 
had  a  hundred  and  twenty-two  titles,  including  Chaucer, 
Cowley,  Jeremy  Taylor,  Drayton,  Waller,  Hudibras, 
Bacon's  "Essays,"  and  "Paradise  Lost";  Edmund 
Berkeley,  Middlesex,  1719,  a  hundred  and  eight  titles, 
among  them  "  Locke  on  the  Human  Understanding,"  the 
"  Decameron,"  and  Shakespeare. 

Daniel  McCarty,  of  Westmoreland,  left  in  1724  a 
valuable  collection  including  Latin  and  Greek  works,  law 
books,  and  history;  and  "  King"  Carter  left  in  1726  five 
hundred  and  twenty-one  volumes  consisting  largely  of 
Greek  and  Latin  books,  theolog}-,  and  history. 

The  appraisers  of  the  estate  of  Nathaniel  Harrison, 
Surry,  1728,  made  no  pretence  to  knowledge  of  literature. 
They  dismissed  his  library  with  "  in  the  study,  books  of 
several  sorts  and  sizes,"  but  the  fact  that  they  were  in  a 
"  study  "  suggests  a  good-sized  collection. 

Robert  Beverley,  of  Spotsylvania,  at  a  tinie  when  only 
a  sparse  population  lay  between  him  and  the  mountains, 
had  a  library  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  volumes.  It  con- 
tained much  Latin  and  Greek,  books  by  Tillotson,  Locke, 
Temple,  Burnet,  Bacon,  Chillingworth  and  Pope,  Evelyn's 
"  Sylva,"  "  Paradise  Lost,"  Shaftsbury's  "  Characteris- 
tics," the  "Spectator"  and  "  Tatler,"  "Hudibras," 
More's  "  Utopia  "  and  the  "  Beggar's  Opera."  Doctor 
Charles  Brown,  Williamsburg,  173(5,  had  five  hundred  and 
twenty-one  volumes  which  an  advertisement  in  the  Virginia 
Gazette  described  as  "  the  finest  and  most  copious  in  the 
branches  of  Natural  Philosoj)hy  and  Physick  ever  offered 
for  sale  in  the  Colony,"  and  Henry  Fitzhugh  of  Stafford 
had  a  library  a})praised  in  1743  at  over  two  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  pounds  sterling. 

Richard  Chichester,  Lancaster,  1744,  left  two  hundred 

304 


>v>**-< 


as.    _ 


/ 


I.  ^<^T 


SOME  VIRGINIA  BOOK-PLATES 


BOOKS 

volumes,  and  the  inventory  of  Robert  Brooke,  of  Essex, 
174.5,  names  a  hundred  and  tliirty-eight  titles.  Daniel 
Parke  Custis,  New  Kent,  1757,  the  first  husband  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  left  four  hundred  and  ninety-nine  volumes 
including  the  works  of  Fuller,  Smollett,  Cowley,  Claren- 
don, Defoe,  Dryden,  Waller,  Bacon,  Pope,  Swift,  Taylor, 
Herbert,  Steele,  Johnson,  Shakespeare,  and  Milton.  John 
AValler,  Spotsylvania,  1755,  had  a  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  titles,  besides  magazines  and  newspapers.  Among 
his  books  were  "  Paj-adise  Lost,"  "  Tale  of  a  Tub,"  "  Suck- 
ling's Works,"  "  Robinson  Crusoe,"  "  Hudibras,"  "  The 
Spectator,"  "  The  Dunciad,"  Dryden's  "  Satires,"  Pope's 
"  Satires,"  Shakespeare's  "  Poems,"  "  The  Tatler,"  and 
Congreve's  works.  John  Herbert,  Chesterfield,  1760,  had 
two  hundred  and  forty-seven  volumes  including — besides 
Latin  and  Greek — Ben  Jonson,  Shakespeare,  Cowley, 
Pope,  Swift,  Addison,  Milton,  Butler,  Plerbert,  Pryor,  and 
Bolingbroke.  Augustine  Washington,  Westmoreland, 
1762,  left  with  other  books,  Virgil  and  various  Latin  books. 
Homer  and  Shakespeare. 

In  1764  Colonel  William  Cabell  of  Amherst  County 
ordered  from  England  over  forty-seven  pounds  worth  of 
books.  He  had  a  fine  librarj^  to  which  he  generally  added 
about  fifty  books  a  year.  Henry  Churchill,  Fauquier 
County,  1762,  left  books  valued  at  eighty-eight  pounds, 
and  Clement  Reade  of  the  frontier  county  of  Lunen- 
burg, 1763,  at  twenty-five  pounds.  George  Johnston, 
Fairfax,  1769,  who  seconded  Patrick  Henry's  famous 
speech  in  1765,  left  a  hundred  and  eighty-six  volumes. 
Philip  Ludwell,  of  "  Greenspring,"  who  had  moved  to 
England  to  live  some  years  before  and  doubtless  carried 
part  of  his  library  with  him,  left  in  Virginia,  at  his  death, 
in  1767,  four  bookcases,  a  trunk  and  a  box  of  books  valued 
at  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  sterling.    John  Harvie, 

303 


COLONIAL  VmGINL\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

of  Albermarle,  1769,  had  a  hundred  and  eighty-niiie  titles 
besides  "  a  parcel  of  French  and  Latin  books,"  and  a  num- 
ber of  books  lent  out. 

John  Baylor,  of  "  New  Market,"  Caroline  County,  in 
1770,  bequeathed  his  son  John  "all"  his  books  and  directed 
that  he  should  pay  to  his  brothers  George  and  Robert 
twenty-five  pounds  sterling  each  to  assist  in  a  library 
"  which,"  he  concludes,  "  I  higlily  reconuiiend  to  be  yearly 
added  to."  It  was  in  this  year  that  Thomas  Jelt'erson  lost 
by  fire,  his  library  valued  at  two  hundred  pounds  sterling. 
In  the  year  following  John  Mercer,  of  "  Marlborough," 
Stafford,  died  leaving  a  library  of  fifteen  hundred  volumes, 
of  which  a  catalogue  has  been  preserved. 

Robert  Carter,  of  "  Nomini  Hall,"  had  in  1772  a  thou- 
sand and  sixty-six  volumes,  among  them  the  works  of 
Locke,  Clarendon,  Bacon,  Sidney,  Dryden,  Cowley,  Rob- 
ertson, Chaucer,  Wycherley,  ^Montaigne,  Gay,  Somerville, 
Thompson,  Smollett,  Donne,  Sterne,  Addison,  Himie,  Bur- 
net, Moliere,  Waller,  Pryor,  More  ("L^topia"),  Shake- 
speare, Ilobbes,  Pope,  Congreve,  Vanbrugh,  Swift,  Shafts- 
bury,  and  INIilton,  and  mucli  I^atin  and  Greek. 

Charles  Taylor,  Soutliampton,  1773,  bequeathed  his 
"library  of  books."  Jacob  Hall,  a  tutor  in  the  family  of 
Tliomas  Nelson,  of  Yorkto^Mi,  in  1775,  writes  of  Colonel 
Nelson's  "  fine  collection."  At  the  same  time  Richard 
Bhuid,  of  Prince  (ieorge,  had  '"  a  library  of  books,"  and  that 
of  Ralph  Wormeley,  of  "  Rosegill,"  was  noted. 

The  largest  library  of  Colonial  Virginia  and  the  largest 
private  library  in  Colonial  America  was  that  at  "  West- 
over,"  which  contained  nearly  Wnir  thousand  volumes.  It 
was  collected  chielly  by  AVilliam  Byrd,  the  second,  but 
some  of  the  books  were  inherited  from  his  father  and  others 
added  by  his  son,  the  third  William.^ 

^  For  catnlo^ic  see  Bassett's  "  Writings  of  William  Byrd.'* 

304 


BOOKS 

All  of  the  books  mentioned  so  far  belonged  to  persons 
living  east  of  the  Blue  Kidge.  The  Bible  was  in  every 
home  in  The  Valley,  as  in  the  older  parts  of  the  colony, 
and  Waddell  seemed  to  think  it  was  the  only  book  there, 
but  there  were  many  more  than  he  suspected.  For  in- 
stance, the  will  of  Hugh  Thompson,  1757,  the  inventoiy 
of  Robert  Clark,  1759,  the  will  of  Bryan  McDonald,  1759, 
and  the  inventories  of  John  Buchanan  and  William  Adair, 
1763 — the  latter  having  two  bookcases — show  modest  col- 
lections of  books,  while  Thomas  Lewis  owned  a  large  and 
valuable  library  embracing  many  of  the  most  important 
works  then  extant. 

Almost  all  of  the  ministers  of  the  Established  Church 
were  well  educated  men  who  had  good  collections  of  books. 

The  libraries  of  Robert  Hunt  and  Richard  Bucke,  of 
the  Jamesto^vn  Church,  have  been  mentioned.  Other  par- 
sons who  certainly  owned  books  were  Ralph  Watson,  of 
York,  who,  in  1645,  left  thirty  folios  and  fifty  quartos; 
Benjamin  Doggett,  of  Lancaster,  who  in  1682  directed  in 
his  will  that  his  books  be  "  packed  in  a  great  chest "  and 
sent  to  England  for  sale ;  John  Waugh,  of  Stafford,  whose 
library  was  appraised,  in  1706,  at  three  thousand  pounds 
of  tobacco,  or  about  seventy-five  pounds  sterling;  St.  John 
Shropshire,  Westmoreland,  w^ho  left,  in  1718,  "  a  large 
library  of  books,"  valued  at  sixty  pounds  sterling;  John 
Cargill,  of  Surry,  who  in  1732  left  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five bound  books  "  besides  newspapers  and  pamphlets 
and  books  lent  out  " ;  Reverend  William  Dawson,  President 
of  William  and  INIary,  w^ho  left,  in  1752,  "  a  choice  col- 
lection of  books  " ;  Lewis  Latane,  Essex,  1737,  one  hundred 
titles;  William  Key,  Lunenburg,  1764,  one  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  volumes;  John  INIoncure,  Stafford,  1765,  a 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  titles;  William  Dunlop,  King 

305 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

and  Queen,  1769,  "  several  thousand  volumes  in  most  arts 
and  scienees  ";  James  Marye,  Albemarle,  1774,  four  hun- 
dred books  and  forty-four  pamphlets. 

The  Presbyterian  ministers  were  also  men  of  culture 
and  fond  of  books.  Two  early  examples  of  those  who  left 
valuable  collections  in  various  languages  were  Josias 
Mackie,  Princess  Anne  County,  1726,  and  Charles  Jeffrey 
Smith,  New  Kent,  1771. 

In  May,  1768,  Mr.  William  Rind,  editor  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Gazette,  announced  in  that  paper: 

"  Gentlemen  who  chuse  to  subscribe  to  the  Gentleman's 
or  London  Mag-azines,  or  for  the  Reviews  will  be  re^i^ularly 
supplied  from  January  next  if  they  leave  their  names  soon 
enough  to  have  them  imported  by  that  time." 

In  July  of  the  same  year  he  offered  for  sale  the  "  Vir- 
ginia Almanack  and  Ladies'  Diary  for  1769,  containing 
among  other  things,  enigmas,  acrostics,  rebuses,  queries, 
paradoxes,  nosegays  of  flowers,  plates  of  fruit  and  mathe- 
matical questions,"  and  in  the  following  February  adver- 
tised for  subscribers  to  a  monthly  "  under  the  title  of  the 
American  INIagazine  "  to  be  published  in  Philadelphia  by 
Lewis  Nicola. 

Fithian  several  times  noted  in  his  "  Diary  "  the  arrival 
at  "  Nomini  "  of  magazines  from  London  and  Philadel- 
phia and  of  the  Williamsburg  papers.  L^pon  one  occasion 
he  writes: 

"  In  a  ship  arrived  in  the  Potomac  ^Ir.  Carter  received 
half  a  dozen  of  the  latest  Gentleman's  Magazines,  with 
several  other  new  books,"  and  again  "  The  English  Maga- 
zines and  Reviews  arrived  to-day." 

In  1736  William  Parks,  then  publisher  of  the  J'lrginia 
Gazette,  established  a  book  store  in  Williamsburg,  and 
among  later  capital  city  book  stores  was  that  of  Dixon 

30(5 


BOOKS 

and  Planter,  who  in  1775  published  a  hst  of  more  than 
three  hundred  titles  from  their  stock,  including  the  works 
of  Shakespeare,  Milton,  Dryden,  Addison,  Pope,  Bunyan, 
Bacon,  Josephus,  Smollett,  Gay,  Swift,  Blackstone,  John- 
son's Dictionary,  Plutarch's  "  Lives,"  Smith's  "  History  of 
Virginia,"  "  Gil  Bias,"  "  Robinson  Crusoe,"  "  Tristram 
Shandy,"  "  Tom  Jones,"  the  "  Spectator,"  "  Rambler  " 
and  "  Tatler." 

The  Gazette  also  frequently  advertised  books  by  Vir- 
ginia authors  published  and  sold  in  Williamsburg. 

There  were  doubtless  book  stores,  or  stores  where  books 
could  be  bought,  in  other  Virginia  towns  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  the  inventories  of  country  merchants  show 
that  all  of  them  had  some  books  for  sale. 


XII 

MUSIC 


USIC  of  a  simple  and  social  kind — 
principally  sentimental  songs,  ballads 
containing  a  stor\%  tuneful  airs  and 
dances — entered  largely  into  Colonial 
Virginia  life.  In  the  seventeenth 
century  young  women  played  on 
Queen  Elizabeth's  instrument,  the  vir- 
ginal, and  in  the  eighteenth  on  the  spinet  and  harpsichord. 
JNIen,  from  the  planter  to  his  negro  slave,  scraped  tunes 
from  the  violin — or  the  fiddle,  as  it  was  more  often  called — 
and  everj'body  sang. 

Captain  John  Utie,  afterward  a  member  of  his 
Majesty's  Council,  was  seen  to  "  play  upon  the  viol  at 
sea  "  on  his  way  to  Virginia  in  1620,  and  in  much  later 
times  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Patrick  Henr}^  turned  for 
recreation  to  the  fiddle  and  the  bow. 

In  1746  Heru-y  Lee  bequeathed  among  other  servants 
one  known  as  "  the  piper,"  and  many  an  advertisement 
of  a  runaway  slave  declared  "  he  can  play  on  the  violin," 
or  "  he  took  his  fiddle  with  him."  Owing  to  the  popularity 
of  dancing,  ability  to  play  on  a  nuisical  instrument  added 
to  the  slave's  usefulness  and  value.  For  instance,  this 
appeared  in  the  Gazette  in  1760: 

"  To  be  sold  a  young  healthy  negro  fellow  who  has  been 
used  to  wait  on  a  gentleman  and  plays  extremely  well  on 
the  French  horn." 

In  17<>1)  there  was  an  advertisement  for  an  "orderly 
negro  or  mulatto  man  wlio  can  play  well  on  the  violin," 
and  the  description  of  a  runaway  of  1775  declared: 

"  He  played  exceedingly  on  the  banger  and  generally 
carries  one  with  him." 

308 


U(»Bi;i{T  (  AKTKH,  OF  "NOMINI  HAl.l, 
From  a  portrait  by  Reynolds 


MUSIC 

In  1757  Philip  Ludwell  Lee  offered  through  the  col- 
umns of  the  Gazette  a  handsome  reward  for  the  recovery 
of  a  runaway  named  Charles  Love — a  white  indentured 
servant — who  was  described  as  "  a  professor  of  music, 
dancing  and  fencing." 

Musical  instruments — especially  violins — figure  in  wills 
and  inventories  throughout  the  Colonial  period.  In  1688 
Thomas  Jordan,  of  Surry,  left  "  a  pair  of  very  old  vir- 
ginals "  and  a  bass  viol. 

In  the  prosperous  years  from  the  middle  of  the  eigh- 
teenth centmy  to  the  Revolution  a  spinet  or  harpsichord 
seems  to  have  been  generally  found  in  the  home  of  the 
well-to-do  planter,  who  had  his  girls  taught  to  play,  and 
music  on  one  of  these  instruments — often  with  the  addition 
of  the  flute  or  violin,  or  both — was  a  favorite  diversion  of 
the  evening  hours  in  both  country  and  town.  Frequently 
the  instruments  accompanied  a  love  ditty  sung  by  a  fair 
daughter  of  the  house,  a  rollicking  song  or  a  familiar  hymn 
in  which  all  the  family  joined,  or  broke  into  one  of  the 
dance  tunes  for  which  the  young  folk  were  always  ready 
and  in  time  to  which  the  feet  of  the  oldest  within  hearing 
patted  sympathetically. 

William  Downman,  of  Richmond  County,  wrote  his 
brother,  in  1752: 

"  My  little  Rawlegh  is  a  very  brisk  boy  and  sings 
mightily.  He  can  sing  almost  any  of  the  common  tunes 
our  fiddlers  play." 

It  is  evident  from  allusions  to  music  in  Fithian's 
"  Diary  "  that  there  were  many  harpsichords  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  "  Nomini  Hall,"  and  that  most  of  the  girls  of 
the  Carters'  circle  played  on  them.  A  music  teacher  named 
Stadley  taught  in  that  part  of  the  colony  and  spent  several 
days  at  a  time  at  "  Nomini,"  giving  lessons  to  the  girls. 
According  to  Fithian,  all  the  young  ladies  at  "  Mt.  Airy  " 

309 


COLONIAL   VIRGINIA,   ITS   PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

played  well  and  of  the  imich  admired  Jenny  Washington, 
who  was  "  about  seventeen,"  he  says: 

"  She  plays  well  on  the  harpsichord  &  spinet,  under- 
stands the  principles  of  music  and  therefore  performs  her 
tunes  in  perfect  time.  .  .  .  She  sings  likewise  to  her 
instrument." 

"  A  Young  Lady  Singing  to  the  Spinet  "  inspired  "  A 
Young  Gentleman  of  Virginia  "  to  an  effusion  in  rhyme, 
printed  in  the  Virginia  Gazette  in  1737.  Here  is  a  speci- 
men stanza  from  some  "  Lines  on  Hearing  a  Young  Lady 
Play  on  the  Harpsichord  "  from  the  pen  of  one  who  "  never 
attempted  before  anything  in  the  poetical  way,"  which 
appeared  in  that  paper  in  1769: 

When  Sukey  to  her  harpsichord  repairs 
And,  smiling,  bids  me  give  attentive  ears, 
With  bliss  supreme  the  lovely  maid  I  view. 
But  with  reluctance  forced  to  bid  adieu. 
Her  channs,  I  find,  are  on  my  heart  impress'd, 
Nor  time  nor  absence  can  regain  my  rest. 

The  Gazette  contains  an  occasional  advertisement  of  a 
musical  instrument  for  sale,  for  instance  this,  in  1752: 

"  Just  imported  from  London.  A  very  neat  hand 
organ  in  a  mahogany  case  with  gilt  front,  which  plays  six- 
teen tunes,  on  two  barrels;  it  has  four  stops  and  everything 
in  the  best  order." 

And  this,  in  1767: 

"  To  be  sold  for  prime  cost,  a  complete  Harpsichord, 
with  three  stops,  just  imported  from  London,  made  by 
Kirpman,  the  Queen's  instrument  maker,  and  supposed 
by  good  judges  to  he  the  best  in  the  Colony.  Inquire  of 
the  printer." 

In  1771  Jefferson,  who  was  devoted  to  music,  ordered 
from  a  London  merchant  a  clavichord.  But  quickly  fol- 
lowed his  letter  with  another  in  which  he  says: 

310 


MUSIC 

*'  I  have  since  seen  a  Forte  piano  and  am  charmed 
"vvith  it.  Send  me  this  instrmnent  then,  instead  of  the  clavi- 
chord :  let  the  case  be  of  fine  mahogany,  solid,  not  veneered. 
The  compass  from  Double  G  to  F  in  alt.  A  plenty  of  spare 
strings  and  the  workmanship  on  the  whole  very  handsome 
and  worthy  the  acceptance  of  a  lady  for  whom  I  intend  it." 

Gay  little  Williamsburg  was  a  music-loving  town,  and 
the  diary  of  President  John  Blair  (1751)  makes  frequent 
mention  of  the  musical  entertainments  at  William  and 
jNIary  College  and  in  private  houses.  Mr.  Blair  himself 
had  a  spinet  on  which  the  ladies  of  his  family  played,  and 
when  he  had  friends  to  dine  with  him,  or  when  he  dined 
out  with  friends,  he  took  pains  to  record,  "  we  had  fine 
music." 

The  inventory  of  Cuthbert  Ogle,  of  Williamsburg, 
shows  that  he  left,  in  1755,  a  fiddle  and  case,  a  harpsichord 
and  a  large  collection  of  music,  including  works  of  Handel 
and  other  famous  composers.  Dr.  Lyon  G.  Tyler,  from 
a  study  of  JNIr.  Ogle's  belongings,  conjures  up  a  quaint 
picture  of  him  in  a  green  coat  with  flowing  wig,  tuning 
his  fiddle  as  he  glances  through  his  spectacles  at  his  music. 

Another  acomplished  musician  of  the  little  capital  was 
Peter  Pelham,  the  organist  of  Bruton  Church.  In  1769 
Anne  Blair  wrote  her  sister,  INIrs.  George  Braxton,  of 
*'  Newington": 

"  They  are  building  a  steeple  to  our  church,  the  doors 
for  that  reason  are  open  every  day  and  scarce  an  evening 
but  we  are  entertained  with  performances  of  Felton's, 
Handel's  and  Vi- Valley's  works,  &c.,  &c.,  &c." 

In  1770  Landon  Carter,  of  "  Sabine  Hall,"  grouchily 
confided  to  his  diary — apropos  of  the  popularity  of  music 
in  Williamsburg — 

"  I  hear  from  every  house  a  constant  tuting  may  be 
listened  to  from  one  instrument  or  another." 

311 


COLONIAL  VIRGIMA,   ITS   PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

He  evidently  would  not  have  found  a  congenial  com- 
panion in  his  nephew,  "  Councillor  "  Carter,  of  "  Xomini 
Hall "  and  Williamsburg,  who  took  more  interest  in 
"  music,  heavenly  maid,"  than  anybody  of  the  time  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  a  man  of  broad  culture  and  devoted  to 
intellectual  pursuits.  Philip  Fithian  says  that  his  "  main 
studies"  were  law  and  music,  and  a  catalogue  of  the  fine 
library  at  "  Xomini  "  given  in  the  tutor's  diarj'  bears  wit- 
ness to  a  remarkably  versatile  taste.  According  to  it,  there 
were  among  his  folios  "17  vohmies  of  Music  by  Various 
Authors  "  and  "  Alexander's  Feasts,  or  the  Power  of 
Music,  an  Ode  in  Honour  of  St.  Cecelia  by  Dryden,  set 
to  music  by  Handel,"  and  among  the  octavos  "  Malcolm 
on  Music,"  "  Handel's  Operas  for  Flute,  2  Vols.,"  and  a 
"  Book  of  Italian  ^Nlusic."  The  Councillor's  favorite  even- 
ing pastime  was  transposing  music  or  playing  on  the  flute, 
violin,  or  harpsichord.  His  children  were  all  musical,  and 
the  family  at  "  N^omini  "  may  be  said  to  have  made  a  little 
home  orchestra,  content  to  be  its  own  audience  or  ready  to 
perform  for  the  pleasure  of  the  company  that  often  gath- 
ered under  that  hos2)itable  roof.  The  tutor  caught  the  con- 
tagion and  tells  of  practising  sonatas  with  the  master  of 
the  house  and  his  sons.  One  of  the  boys,  Ben  Carter,  a 
favorite  pupil  of  Fithian's,  played  well  on  the  flute,  and 
the  tutor  paid  hhn  half  a  bit  to  read  or  play  to  him  for 
twenty  minutes  every  night  after  he  was  in  bed. 

In  1770  the  Councillor  ordered  from  London,  for  his 
house  in  AVilliamsburg,  an  organ  made  according  to  direc- 
tions of  Peter  Pclliam,  and  he  also  had  "  an  Armonica,  one  of 
the  new  fashioned  musical  instruments  invented  by  Mr.  B. 
Franklin,  of  Philadelphia,"  and  "  played  on  by  Miss  Uavies 
at  the  great  room  in  Spring  Garden."  It  was  described 
as  "  the  musical  glasses  without  water  framed  into  a  com- 

'3li 


IVIUSIC 

plete  instrimient,  capable  of  thorough  bass  and  never  out 
of  tune." 

The  local  and  advertising  columns  of  the  Gazette  show 
tliat  there  were  a  number  of  professional  musicians  scat- 
tered about  the  colony.  In  1736  this  paper  announced 
that: 

"  On  Christmas  Eve,  died  in  Hanover  County  after  a 
very  short  Illness,  JNIr.  Jolm  Langford,  a  noted  and  skilful 
Musician.  His  Death  is  much  lamented  by  his  Acquaint- 
ance in  general  whose  Love  and  Esteem  he  had  Acquired 
by  his  facetious,  good  Behavior,  and  the  more  so  having 
left  behind  liun  a  poor  Widow  and  six  or  seven  small  Chil- 
dren, who  tis  hop'd  will  receive  some  comfort  under  their 
affliction  from  the  beneficent  Hands  of  those  Gentle- 
men and  Ladies  whom  he  has  often  delighted  with  his 
Harmony." 

In  1752  John  Tompkins  was  prepared  to  instruct  "  all 
Persons  inclinable  to  learn,  a  true  Method  of  singing 
Psalms,  at  the  College  of  William  and  ]Mary,  or  at  the 
Church  in  Williamsburg,"  and  in  the  same  year  "  Mr. 
Singleton  proposed  to  teach  the  violin  in  Williamsburg, 
Yorktown,  Hampton  and  Norfolk." 

In  1775  "  a  young  lady  lately  arrived  in  Williams- 
burg "  desired  "  pupils  on  the  guitar." 

The  accommodating  Gazette  also  contributes  the 
following : 

"  To  be  performed  at  King  William  Courthouse.  A 
concert  of  instrumental  Musick,  by  Gentlemen  of  Note  for 
their  own  amusement.  After  the  concert  will  be  a  Ball 
if  agreeable  to  the  Company.  Tickets  to  be  had  at  five 
shillings  each." 

A  few  months  later  tliese  unnamed  "  gentlemen  of 
note  "  gave  a  concert  and  ball  "  at  Mr.  Tinsley's,  in  Han- 
over To^\Ti." 

813 


XIII 
PICTURES 


ICTURES  in  Colonial  Virginia  ran 
largely  to  portraits,  but  there  are  a 
goodly  number  of  prints  mentioned 
in  wills  and  inventories,  though  few 
of  them  remain.  Many  of  the  por- 
traits, too,  have  been  destroyed  by 
fire  and  other  accidents,  and  very 
many  of  those  which  have  been  presenxd  are  scattered 
through  Virginia  and  other  states  and  known  only  to  those 
who  have  fallen  heir  to  them  and  to  their  friends.  Of  the 
interesting  collections  which  have  remained  intact,  like 
those  at  "Brandon,"  "  Shirley,"  and  "  Mt  Airy,"  no  lists 
are  in  print,  but  from  such  as  are,  and  are  easily  accessible, 
a  catalogue  of  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  could  be 
made.  From  other  indications  it  is  believed  that  at  least 
five  hundred  portraits  of  Virginians  painted  before  the 
Revolution  are  still  in  existence.  Among  the  larger  col- 
lections were  those  of  the  Randolphs — about  thirty-three 
in  nimiber;  the  iVIoseleys,  twenty-two — which  were  long 
kept  together  and  descended  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion ;  the  Carters,  twenty ;  the  Fitzhughs,  about  twenty ;  the 
Byrds,  eighteen;  the  Boilings,  sixteen;  the  Lees,  twelve; 
the  Pages,  ten  or  twelve,  and  a  number  of  other  groups 
almost  as  large. 

Some  of  the  emigrants  brought  portraits  of  their  an- 
cestors with  them  from  England.  The  Moseleys  had  one 
of  a  gentleman  in  armor,  and  another,  still  existing,  of  a 
lady  of  the  late  sixteenth  or  early  seventeenth  century, 
wearing  interesting  jewels — among  them  a  thumb-ring. 
The  descendants  of  Sir  Thomas  I.unsford  own  a  miniature 
of  that  knight  and  one  of  his  brother.  Colonel  Henry  Luns- 

314 


A  LADY  OF  THE  MOSELEY  FAMILY 
From  a  portrait  brought  to  Virginia,  1649 


PICTURES 


ford,  of  the  Royal  Army,  who  was  killed  in  a  charge  at 
Bristol,  and  the  Fairfaxes  have  a  number  of  portraits  of 
English  members  of  their  family.  A  descendant  of  the 
Byrds  has  a  charming  full  length  portrait  of  the  first 
William  Byrd,  painted  during  his  childhood  in  England, 
dressed  as  a  little  Roman  soldier. 

Most  Virginia  portraits  of  the  seventeenth  and  early 
eighteenth  centuries  are  of  men,  as  there  were  no  painters 
in  Virginia  during  those  years,  and  many  more  men  than 
women  went  "  home  "  and  had  the  opportunity  of  sitting 
to  English  artists.  Among  women  who  did  were  the  wife 
and  daughters  of  Edward  Jaqueline,  of  Jamestown,  who 
was  born  in  1668.  During  a  visit  to  England  with  his 
family,  early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  he  had  painted  by 
"  an  artist  of  the  greatest  merit  he  could  find,"  fine  por- 
traits of  himself,  his  wife,  his  three  daughters,  and  two 
sons,  with  the  famil}^  coat-of-arms  and  name  and  birthday 
of  the  subject  upon  the  frame  of  each  picture. 

Robert  Carter,  of  "  Nomini,"  when  in  England  sat  to 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  for  a  charming  portrait  which,  hap- 
pily, has  been  preserved.  At  least  one  other  Virginian, 
Warner  Lewis,  of  "  Warner  Hall,"  Gloucester,  was  painted 
by  Reynolds,  but  the  picture  perished  with  historic  "  Rose- 
well,"  destroyed  by  fire  in  1916. 

In  later  years  Hesselius,  Bridges  and  Wollaston 
painted  many  portraits  in  Virginia  and  Peale  a  few — 
notably  that  of  Washington  as  a  colonial  colonel. 

In  1736  Colonel  Byrd  wrote  to  Governor  Spotswood 
introducing  Charles  Bridges  as  "  a  man  of  good  family, 
either  by  the  frowns  of  fortune  or  his  own  mismanagement 
obliged  to  seek  his  bread  in  a  strange  land,"  adding,  "  His 
name  is  Bridges  and  his  profession  painting,  and  if  you 
have  any  employment  for  him  in  that  way  he  will  be  proud 

315 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOIMS 

of  obeying  your  command.  lie  has  drawn  my  cliildren  and  ' 
several  others  in  this  neighborhood,  and  tho'  he  has  not  the  \ 
JNIaster  Hand  of  a  IJlly  or  Kneller,  yet  liad  he  hved  so  long  [ 
ago  as  when  Places  were  given  to  the  most  deserving,  he  I 
might  have  pretended  to  be  Sergeant  Painter  of  Virginia." 

Bridges  was  painting  in  Virginia  for  years,  and  a  large 
number  of  portraits  done  by  him  have  been  preserved.  His 
women  are  graceful  and  attractive  and  generally  wear  the 
popular  single  curl  drawn  over  one  shoulder.  In  1738  he 
rented  a  house  in  Williamsburg  which  he  doubtless  made 
his  headquarters.  In  IT^O  he  was  employed  to  paint  the 
King's  arms  for  the  Courthouse  at  Caroline  County  at  the 
price  of  sixteen  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco. 

Here  is  an  advertisement  which  appeared  in  the  Vir- 
ginia Gazette  in  1769: 

Henry  Warren,  limner,  who  is  now  in  Williamsburg  has  had 
the  satisfaction  of  pleasing  most  gentlemen  who  have  employed 
him  and  should  any  in  this  place  have  a  mind  to  please  their  fancy 
with  night  pieces  or  keep  in  memory  their  families  with  family 
pieces  or  anything  of  the  like  (landscapes  excepted)  may  be  sup- 
plied by  their  humble  servant. 

If  well  you're  pleased  then  sure  you'll  recommend 
Your   humble   servant    to    a    tasty    friend. 

Among  the  possessions  of  Colonel  Thomas  Ludlow,  of 
York,  w^ho  died  in  16(50,  was  "  Judge  Kichardson  to  ye 
waist  in  a  picture,"  ajDpraised  at  fifty  pounds  of  tobacco. 
John  Brewer,  of  Isle  of  Wight,  left  "  12  small  pictures  ** 
in  1669. 

Thomas  INIadcstard,  of  Lancaster,  who  died  in  167-3, 
was  another  early  owner  of  pictures,  while  David  Fox  of 
the  same  county  left  about  1690  "  .'J  pictures  in  the  parlor 
and  25  Pictures  of  the  Sences  in  the  Hall,"  and  Kdward 
Digges,  of  York,  in  1C)92  "  6  pictures." 

SIG 


PICTURES 


Pictures  were  frequently  handed  down  by  bequest,  but 
wills  are  as  tantalizingly  indefinite  as  inventories.  In  1700 
William  Fitzhugh,  of  Stafford,  bequeathed  to  his  son  "  my 
own  and  my  Wife's  pictures  and  the  other  six  pictures  of 
my  relations,"  and  to  his  wife  "  the  remainder  of  my  pict- 
ures." A  portrait  of  him  owned  by  a  descendant  is 
labelled  "  Colonel  William  Fitzhugh,  aged  40,  1698.  Copy 
by  J.  Heselius."    The  date  refers  to  the  original. 

John  Swann,  of  Lancaster,  dying  in  1711,  left  two 
small  pictures  and  "  a  prospect  of  the  City  of  London." 
Andrew  iMonroe,  of  Westmoreland,  a  great-uncle  of  the 
President,  left  in  1714  "  3  large  pictures  ";  Richard  Lee, 
1714,  "  Richard's  Lee's  picture,  frame  and  curtain,  G.  Cor- 
bih's  picture,  the  Quaker's  picture,  T.  Corbin's  picture;" 
William  Churchill,  Middlesex,  1714,  five  pictures  with  gilt 
frames  and  one  gilt  frame  "  with  colors  " — doubtless  a 
framed  coat-of-arms.  "  King  "  Carter,  in  1726,  left  por- 
traits of  his  children,  two  portraits  of  himself  and  two  of 
his  wife.     He  bequeathed  each  child  "  his  own  picture." 

Among  the  household  goods  of  William  Gordon,  of 
Middlesex,  who  died  in  1726,  was  "  The  Royal  Oak  in  a 
frame,"  and  among  those  of  Christopher  Robinson,  of  the 
same  county,  1727,  "a  picture  of  the  Bishop  of  London," 
who  was  his  brother,  while  the  inventory  of  Colonel  Maxi- 
milian Boush,  of  Princess  Anne  County,  1728,  mentions 
portraits  of  Queen  Anne  and  Prince  George,  one  picture 
in  a  large  gilt  frame,  ten  in  small  gilt  frames,  two  in  black 
frames,  two  new  Maps  of  London,  and  a  picture  of  St. 
Paul's  Cathedral. 

The  inventory  of  Captain  William  Rogers,  of  York- 
town,  who  died  in  1739,  mentions  "  a  Dutch  picture  in  a 
gilt  frame,"  seven  "  cartoons,"  four  "  glass  pictures,"  three 
"  small  pictures,"  and  "  a  neat  picture  of  Charles  II." 

21  317 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

That  of  Alexander  Spotswood,  Orange,  1740,  has  "26 
prints  Overton's  Theatrum  Passion,"  a  "  Scripture  piece 
of  painting,  the  History  of  the  Woman  taken  in  Adul- 
tery"— vahied  at  thirty-six  pounds  sterling — "  20  prints] 
with  glasses  " — valued  at  one  pound  four  shillings — and. 
"  42  prints  with  glasses,"  at  three  pounds  three. 

Henry  Hacker,  of  Williamsburg,  dying  in  1742,  left" 
sixteen  framed  pictures,  and  ]Major  Harr}'  Turner,  of 
King  George  County,  1751,  sixty-nine  pictures  "  in  gilt 
frames."  The  inventory  of  Colonel  John  Tayloe,  1747, 
lists  among  articles  in  the  dining-room  "  a  sett  of  Rubens 
Galler}'  of  Lusenburgh." 

In  1757  Washington  ordered  from  London  "  1  neat 
Landskip  3  feet  by  21 3^  inches."  A  landscape  "  after 
Claude  Lorraine"  was  sent  him. 

Colonel  John  Tabb,  of  P^lizabeth  City,  according  to 
his  inventory  made  in  1762,  had  one  dozen  prints  in  frames, 
and  John  Pleasants,  Cumberland,  1765,  "  The  Ten  Sea- 
sons," valued  at  five  pounds,  and  "  a  prospect  of  Phila- 
delphia," at  eight  shillings.  George  Johnston,  Fairfax 
County,  1767,  left  two  unframed  paintings  valued  at  four 
poimds  each,  six  Plogarth  prints,  and  a  family  portrait. 
Hogarth's  pictures  were  in  at  least  one  other  house  in  the 
colony.  In  a  fragment  of  a  letter  preserved  in  the  Jones 
Papers,  Colonel  Thomas  Jones  requested  his  brother,  who 
was  studying  abroad,  to  buy  him  some  more  Ilogarths 
in  London  and  gave  him  a  list  of  those  he  already  had. 
They  were  "  Midnight  Conversation,"  "  The  Rake's  Prog- 
ress," "  The  Harlot's  Progress,"  "  The  Roast  Beef  of  Old 
Kngland  "  and — as  well  as  can  be  made  out — "  Marriage 
a  la  ISIode." 

According  to  the  inventory  of  Adam  Menzies,  Xorth- 
umbcrland  County.  1767,  ho  bad  seven  engravings  from 

318 


VMLLIAM  BYRD,  FIRST 

From  a  portrait  brought  from  England 


PICTURES 


Raphael's  cartoons,  four  large  prints  in  gilt  frames,  and 
one  small  print. 

In  the  same  year  the  Gazette  announced : 

"  Sometime  ago  the  gentlemen  of  Westmoreland,  by 
subscription,  ordered  a  portrait  of  the  Right  Honorable 
the  Earl  of  Chatham  to  be  put  up  in  their  Courthouse.  It 
is  now  arrived  and  esteemed  a  masterly  performance  and 
drawn  by  Charles  Peale." 

This  picture,  after  a  long  visit  to  the  Hall  of  the  House 
of  Delegates,  in  the  Capitol  at  Richmond,  hangs  again  on 
the  walls  of  Westmoreland  Courthouse. 

In  1775  Professor  Henley,  of  William  and  Mary  Col- 
lege, advertised  for  sale  "  a  portfolio  of  engravings,  etch- 
ings and  JNIezzotints — all  fine  impressions  and  many  of 
them  proofs  by  the  most  celebrated  jNIasters,"  and  in  the 
fine  house  of  his  contemporary,  William  Hunter,  of  Wil- 
liamsburg, were  a  "  sea  piece,"  a  landscape,  and  a  large 
picture  of  the  "  Ruins  of  Rome,"  in  gilt  frames,  nineteen 
prints,  and  two  small  pictures  "  with  glasses  and  frames." 

In  1775  also  John  Champe,  of  King  George  County, 
bequeathed  to  his  wife,  Anne — who  was  the  daughter  of 
Charles  Carter,  of  "  Cleve  " — the  "  four  pictures  drawn 
last  by  Hesselius,  to  wit :  Colonel  Charles  Carter  and  Anne 
his  wife,  my  o^vn  and  the  said  Anne  Champe." 

A  letter  written  from  Virginia  about  this  time  men- 
tions the  family  pictures  drawn  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller, 
and  others,  at  Windsor,"  the  home  of  the  Claytons,  in 
Xew  Kent  Countv. 


XIV 
RELIGION 


-^IIILE  his  Majesty's  first  Colony  was 
not  strictly  a  religious  settlement,  re- 
ligious observances  were  so  much  a 
part  of  the  life  of  the  people  of  the 
day  that  such  an  enterprise  could 
liardly  have  been  launched  with  this 
element  left  out,  and  in  the  final  orders 
of  the  Virginia  Company  of  London  to  the  first  colonists 
before  the  three  little  ships  set  sail  from  England,  they 
were  admonished  to 

*'  Serve  and  fear  God  the  Giver  of  all  Goodness,  for 
every  plantation  which  our  Heavenly  Father  hath  not 
planted  shall  he  rooted  out." 

To  this  the  founders  of  all  the  American  colonies  would 
have  said  a  hearty  Amen,  but  among  the  incentives  which 
moved  the  emigrants  to  Virginia  to  seek  a  home  in  a  new 
world,  desire  to  break  away  from  the  faith  of  their  fathers 
had  no  part — they  brought  witli  tliem  not  only  the  religion 
of  England  hut  the  Church  of  EngUnd.  When  they  made, 
at  Caj)c  I  Iciiiy,  tlicii-  first  landing  on  American  soil,  they 
set  up  a  cross  and  claimed  the  country  for  their  churdi  as 
well  as  for  their  king — a  ceremony  which  was  repeated  on 
one  of  the  islets  in  the  tumbling  waters  of  the  James,  at 
the  present  site  of  Kicliinond,  when  their  explorations 
brought  them  there  on  tliat  bright  Whitsunday  morning 
a  month  later.  An  important  member  of  the  first  settle- 
ment grouj)  was  Parson  Hunt,  the  Chaplain,  who,  on 
June  21-  the  tliird  Sunday  after  Trinity — gave  them  the 
Communion  on  the  greensward  at  Jamestown  under  an  old 
sail  stretched  from  tree  to  tree.  Wherever  these  men  cut 
down  trees  and  planted  a  settlement  of  cabins  fashioned 

S20 


RELIGION 


of  the  green  logs,  they  built  a  house  better  than  their  dwell- 
ings for  a  ehurch,  where  the  familiar  rites  of  the  English 
Prayer  Book  were  used.  On  August  9,  1619,  the  earliest 
legislative  assembly  in  America  met  in  the  church  at  James- 
town, as  "  the  most  convenient  place  they  could  find,"  and 
it  is  written  in  the  official  journal  of  that  historic  gathering: 

"  Forasnmche  as  men's  affaires  doe  little  prosper  where 
God's  service  is  neglected  all  the  Burgesses  tooke  their 
places  in  the  Quire  till  a  prayer  was  said  by  Mr.  Bucke,  the 
minister,  that  it  would  please  God  to  guide  and  Sanctifye 
all  our  proceedings  to,  his  owne  fflory  and  to  the  good  of 
this  Plantation." 

There  were  two  or  three  wooden  churches  at  James- 
town— the  first  "  a  homely  thing  like  a  barn  set  on  crotch- 
ets," and  the  last  a  more  comely,  weather-boarded  struct- 
ure— before  the  brick  church  with  tower,  buttresses,  and 
diamond-paned  windows  was  built  upon  the  same  site.  In 
1023  the  settlers  in  Accomac  County  worshipped  in  a  small 
building  of  "  roughly  riled  logs,  cemented  loosely  with 
wattle;  the  whole  enclosed  by  Pallysadoes  for  protection 
against  ye  Indian  tribes,  an  ever  present  menace  to  peace 
and  safety." 

About  1614  a  good  frame  church  had  been  built  at 
Henricopolis  and  a  brick  one  was  planned.  In  1624*  a 
church  was  under  way  in  Elizabeth  City  which  seems  from 
foundations  which  have  been  unearthed  to  have  been,  like 
the  last  frame  church  at  Jamestown,  of  wood  on  a  brick 
underpinning.  There  was  a  church  in  Charles  City  in 
162.5  and  doubtless  there  were  others,  as  there  were  then 
five  or  six  ministers  in  the  colony. 

A  long  war  of  words  has  been  waged  as  to  whether  the 
church  at  Jamestown  or  its  counterpart  in  Isle  of  Wight 
County  was  the  earliest  brick  house  of  worship  in  the 

321 


COLONIAL  MRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

colony — Isle  of  Weight  liaving  persistent  traditions,  the 
date  1G32  moulded  into  a  brick  in  its  walls  and  other  evi- 
dences to  support  its  claim.  It  was  in  1638  that  Governor 
Sir  John  Harvey  in  his  report  to  England  on  conditions 
in  Virginia  said: 

"  Out  of  our  owne  purses  wee  have  Largely  contributed 
to  the  building  of  a  brick  church  " — meaning  of  course  the 
one  at  Jamestown,  which  is  believed  to  have  been  finished 
about  1640. 

In  164.5  Lower  Norfolk  County  had  two  parish 
churches  which  were  probably  of  wood,  but  in  1691  it  was 
ordered  that  a  "  good,  substantial  brick  church  "  be  built 
for  Lynnhaven  Parish  in  that  county.  It  was  to  be  forty- 
five  feet  long  and  twenty-two  wide,  within  the  walls,  which 
were  to  be  thirteen  feet  high,  with  "  brick  gable  ends  to  the 
bridge  of  the  roof  "  and  a  "  brick  porch  ten  feet  square." 
The  roof  was  to  have  "  good  beams  covered  with  good 
oaken  boards  "  and,  inside,  to  be  "  well  sealed  with  good 
oaken  boards,  archwise,  and  whitcd  with  good  lime."  There 
were  to  be  "  good  and  sufficient  lights  of  brick,  well  glazed 
with  good  glass  "  on  each  side  of  the  church  and  "  at  the 
east  end  a  good  large  window  fitt  and  proportionable  for 
such  a  chiu'ch."  There  was  to  be  a  row  of  pews  on  each 
side  and  also  a  "  wainscott  pew,"  for  the  use,  of  course,  of 
persons  of  importance,  on  each  side.  This  tiny  but  well- 
proportioned  and  dignified  little  temple,  which  has  long 
since  disappeared,  was  doubtless  a  typical  country  parish 
chiu'ch  of  the  period. 

Beverley  wrote  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century : 

"  They  have  in  each  parish  a  convenient  church  built 
either  of  timber,  brick  or  stone  and  decently  adorned  with 
everything  necessary  for  divine  service." 

Sii 


RELIGION 


In  large  parishes  there  were  also  one  or  more  small 
chapels  of  ease  for  the  use  of  persons  living  at  an  incon- 
venient distance  from  the  church.  In  building  either  a 
church  or  chapel  care  was  always  taken  to  choose  a  site 
near  a  spring  of  good  water.  In  1769  the  vestry  of  the  very 
large  parish  of  Camden,  in  Pittsylvania  County,  then  on 
the  frontier,  ordered  at  one  time  the  building  at  dift'erent 
points  of  three  small  frame  churches — one  of  them  to  be 
situated  "  at  the  most  best  and  convenient  spring  near  the 
Road  Ford  of  Leatherwood  Creek." 

During  the  eighteenth  century  many  beautiful  churches 
were  erected  in  the  colony  and  a  good  number  of  them 
are  still  in  use,  while  others  are  in  a  state  of  deplorable 
but  picturesque  ruin.  Bruton  Church,  Williamsburg;  St. 
Paul's,  Xorfolk;  St.  John's,  Hampton;  Christ  Church, 
Alexandria,  and  St.  John's,  Richmond — each  of  which  is 
surrounded  by  a  graveyard  filled  with  interesting  tombs — 
are  especially  appealing  town  churches.  Christ  Church, 
Lancaster  County,  is  the  finest  example  of  a  country  church 
remaining.  It  was  built  in  1732  by  "  King "  Carter, 
whose  home,  "  Corotoman,"  was  three  miles  away  on  the 
Rappahannock  River.  From  his  house  to  his  church  he  con- 
structed a  straight  road  enclosed  on  either  side  by  a  hedge 
of  cedars  along  which,  in  periwig  and  gold  lace  and  sur- 
rounded by  his  family  in  attire  as  dashing,  this  Virginia 
grandee  passed  in  his  coach  on  Sundays. 

The  church,  which  is  built  of  brick,  with  walls  three  feet 
thick,  is  in  the  shape  of  a  Greek  cross,  measuring  inside 
sixty-two  feet  from  wall  to  wall  each  way.  The  ceiling, 
which  is  thirty-three  feet  high,  forms  a  groined  arch  above 
the  intersection  of  the  wide  aisles  which  are  paved  with 
flagstones.  The  lofty  pulpit  with  its  winding  stair,  the 
chancel  and  the  high-backed,  box  pews,  with  seats  running 

323 


COLOXLVL  VIRGINU,  ITS   PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

all  around  thciii,  are  of  black  walnut.  There  are  twenty- 
two  of  these  with  a  seating  capacity  of  twelve  each,  and 
three — which  were  reserved  for  the  Carter  family  and  dig- 
nitaries— that  will  seat  twenty  persons  each.  There  were 
other  country  churches  nearly  as  impressive  as  this — nota- 
bly ]Matapony,  in  King  and  Queen  County,  and  Abing- 
don, Gloucester  County.  Many  others  still  were  plain, 
frame  buildings,  but  while  some  of  the  more  primitive  ones 
doubtless  had  simple  benches,  it  seems  from  the  records 
that  most  of  them  were  equipped  with  square  pews,  high 
pulpits,  sounding  boards  and  other  chmx'hly  furnishings. 
Pews  and  sometimes  galleries  were  owned  by  individuals. 
In  1735  Edward  ^loseley,  of  Lynnhaven  Parish,  was  given 
permission  "  to  erect  a  hanging  pewe  on  the  north  side  of 
the  new  church  at  his  own  cost,"  for  the  use  of  himself 
and  his  family,  and  in  1772  Wilson  Cary  directed  in  his 
will  that  his  pew  in  St.  John's  Church,  Hampton,  should 
"  go  down  with  his  home  to  his  heirs  forever." 

^lany  of  the  churches  had  bells  which  were  sometimes 
gifts.  For  instance,  in  1700  Alexander  Kennedy,  of  Eliza- 
beth City  County,  bequeathed  forty  pounds  sterling  for  a 
bell  for  the  parish  church.  Some,  though  perhaps  not  so 
many,  had  organs.  Among  these  was  old  Petsworth  Church 
in  Gloucester,  not  a  brick  of  which  now  stands,  whose 
vestry  made  "  great  subscriptions  "  for  the  purchase  of 
an  organ  in  17.'^5  and  ordered  that  seven  hundred  gold 
leaves  be  bought  for  the  use  of  the  painter.  Some  time 
before  the  "Revolution  an  organ  was  carried  over  the  moun- 
tains to  the  old  Lutheran  Church  in  what  is  now  Madison 
County. 

In  1040  Adam  Thoroughgood  bequeathed  a  thousand 
pounds  of  tobacco  to  Eynnhaven  Parish  Church  "  for  the 
purcliasc  of  some  necessary  and  decent  Ornament." 

S24 


A  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY  CHURCH— ST.  LUKE'S, 
ISLE  OF  WIGHT  COUNTY 


'  -^T. 


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AN  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY  (  HUR(  H— ST.  PAULS,  KLNG  GEORGE  COUNTY 


RELIGION 


A  favorite  interior  decoration  for  houses  of  worship 
throughout  the  Colonial  period  was  the  framed  Lord's 
Prayer,  Creed,  or  Ten  Commandments,  which  was  often 
provided  by  bequest.  In  1675  John  Washington,  of  West- 
moreland, bequeathed  the  Lower  Church  of  Washington 
Parish  "  the  Ten  Commandments  and  the  King's  Arms, 
to  be  sent  for  out  of  England,"  and  in  1716  William  Fox, 
of  Lancaster,  left  to  St.  Mary's  White  Chapel  a  font  and 
**  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  Creed  well  drawn  in  gold  letters," 
with  his  name  under  each  of  them,  set  in  black  frames. 
There  was  a  rare  attempt  at  elaborate  decoration.  Old 
Petsworth  had  over  the  chancel  a  fresco  representing  the 
Last  Judgment.  The  picture  showed  a  crimson  curtain 
drawn  back  and  disclosing  an  angel  with  a  trumpet  in  his 
hand,  surrounded  by  rolling  clouds  from  which  looked  other 
angel  faces. ^ 

About  1764  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stith,  of  Surry  County, 
bequeathed  fifty  pounds  sterling  to  buy  "  an  altar  piece  " 
for  the  Lower  Church  in  Southwark  Parish.  Her  direc- 
tions were  that  "  Moses  and  Aaron  be  drawn  at  full  length 
holding  up  between  them  the  Ten  Commandments  and, 
if  the  money  be  enough,  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  a  small  frame 
to  hang  to  the  right  over  the  great  pew,  and  the  Creed  in 
another  small  frame  to  hang  on  the  left  over  the  other  great 
pew." 

There  were  many  gifts  and  bequests  of  silk  and  velvet 
pulpit  hangings  and  cushions.  Among  these  were  pulpit 
cloths  and  cushions  for  the  upper  and  lower  INIachodick 
Churches,  in  Westmoreland,  bequeathed  by  Lawrence 
Washington,  the  grandfather  of  George,  in  1697.  As  early 
as  1617  ISIrs.  Mary  Robinson,  of  T^ondon,  bequeathed  to 
the  Church  at  Smith's  Hundred  two  hundred  pounds  ster- 

^  Meade's  "  Old  Churches  and  Families  of  Virginia,"  i,  323. 

325 


COLONIAL  VIRGLNIA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

ling  with  part  of  which  was  bought  a  "  Yellow  &  blue 
Cheiny  Dainaske  Carpett  wth  a  Silke  fring,"  a  "  white 
daniaske  Communion  Cloath,"  and  a  "  SurpHsse,"  and 
also  a  "  Communion  Silver  Guilt  Cupp  &  two  little  Chal- 
ices in  a  black  leather  cover."  This  oldest  colonial  com- 
munion service  in  America  may  still  be  seen  at  venerable 
St.  John's  Church,  Hampton. 

A  silver  comnmnion  service  in  a  cloth  of  gold  cover, 
a  crimson  velvet  "  carpet,"  or  pulpit  hanging,  with  gold 
and  silver  fringe,  and  a  damask  conmiunion  cloth  which 
were,  about  1621,  sent  from  England  for  use  in  the  chapel 
of  the  ill-fated  college  at  Henrico,  were  in  existence  in 
1627.  In  later  years  there  were  many  bequests  of  com- 
munion silver  to  Virginia  churches — usually  bearing  the 
name  of  the  donor  and  frequently  his  arms.  Among  them 
were  the  gift  of  William  Burdett,  gentleman,  to  the 
Lower  Parish  of  Northampton  County,  in  164f3,  that  of 
David  Fox,  to  St.  Mary's,  White  Chapel,  in  1660,  and 
that  of  Hancock  Lee  "  to  ye  Parish  of  Lee  "  in  1711.  The 
Reverend  John  Farnifold  left  "  each  church  "  in  his  parish 
in  Northumberland  County  a  chalice  of  silver.  Augustine 
Warner  gave  a  handsome  service  to  Petsworth  Church, 
and  Kalph  Wormeley  one  of  five  pieces  to  Christ  Church, 
Middlesex.  In  1741  John  Allen,  of  Surry,  left  thirty-five 
pounds  sterling  to  each  of  the  two  parishes  in  that  county 
to  buy  services,  and  in  1748  Philip  Lightfoot  fifty  pounds 
current  money  for  a  "  handsome  Hagon  and  chalice  "  with 
liis  "  arms  thereon  "  for  the  Church  at  Vorktown.  It  is 
evident  that  there  were  silver  services  in  every  parish  and 
a  goodly  number  of  colonial  silver  conmiunion  se^^'ices  are 
in  use  in  Virginia  churches  to-day. 

There  are  frecpicnt  references  to  surplices  as  gifts,  and 
in  1752  the  J'irginia  Gazette  advertised  as  "  stolen  out  of 

3i6 


RELIGION 


Ware  Church,  in  Gloucester  County,  Communion  table 
and  pulpit  cloths  of  crimson  velvet,  double  laced  with  gold, 
and  also  a  surplice  and  gown." 

Sunday  observance  and  church-going  were  enforced 
by  law  in  Colonial  Virginia.  In  the  earliest  days  at  James- 
town attendance  on  morning  and  evening  prayer  was  re- 
quired on  week  days  as  well  as  Sundays,  and  every  day 
in  the  week,  and  in  1616  the  Governor  and  Council  issued 
a  proclamation  that  every  person  must  go  to  church  on 
Sundays  and  holy  days  or  "  lye  neck  and  heels  "  in  the 
guard  house  all  night  and  be  a  slave  to  the  Colony  for  a 
week."  For  the  second  offence  the  sinner  would  be  re- 
quired to  serve  the  colony  for  a  month;  and  for  the  third, 
a  year  and  a  day. 

In  1626  the  Council  further  ordered  that  "  the  Com- 
mander and  Church  Wardens  of  each  plantation  take  a 
list  of  the  inhabitants  and  see  that  the  service  of  God  be 
duly  performed  and  anj'-  found  delinquent  punished  as 
provided  by  law."  Any  man  who  came  to  church  without 
his  arms  was  "  to  receive  the  same  punishment  as  if  he 
had  stayed  away,"  and  "  every  master  of  a  family  must 
call  his  people  together  for  prayer  twice,  or  once  a  day, 
at  least." 

The  General  Assembly  was  as  explicit  as  the  Council 
of  State  in  its  insistence  upon  religious  observances.  In 
1623  it  made  absence  from  church  punishable  by  fine  of  one 
pound  of  tobacco  for  a  first  offence,  or  fifty  pounds  for 
absence  for  a  month.  In  1631  church- wardens  were  or- 
dered to  "  levy  one  shilling  for  every  tyme  of  any  person's 
absence  from  the  church  havinge  no  lawfull  or  reasonable 
excuse  to  bee  absent,"  and  in  later  years  there  were  re- 
peated acts  compelling  church  attendance. 

In  1642  one  was  passed  making  it  unlawful  to  "  take  a 

327 


COLOXLVL  \TRGINL\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

voyage  "  on  the  Sabbath  day  "  except  it  be  to  church  or  for 
other  causes  of  extreme  necessitie,  upon  tlie  penaltie  of 
the  forfeiture  of  twenty  pounds  of  tobacco."  In  1704 
York  County  Court  made  it  unlawful  for  inn-keepers  to 
**  sell  strong  drink  or  suft'er  any  drunkenness  in  their 
houses  on  the  Sabbath." 

And  these  laws  were  enforced,  as  hundreds  of  entries 
in  the  council  and  county  court  records  show.  For  in- 
stance, in  1624  his  Majesty's  Council  ordered  that  Thomas 
Sully,  who  had  broken  the  Sabbath  by  "  going  a  hunting," 
should  i)ay  "  five  pounds  sterling  in  good  tobacco  "  toward 
the  support  of  the  church  and  acknowledge  his  fault  in  the 
presence  of  the  congregation.  In  the  same  year  William 
Xewnian  and  Jolm  Army  were  fined  "  for  not  coming  to 
church,  according  to  the  act  of  Assembly,"  and  in  1626 
Thomas  Farley,  Gentleman,  was  fined  a  hundred  pounds 
of  tobacco  "  for  not  coming  to  church  on  the  Sabbatli  day 
for  three  months."  In  1670  the  grand  jury  of  Henrico 
presented  Joseph  Royal  for  playing  cards.  John  Kdwards 
and  "  one  of  Mr.  Isham's  servants  "  for  playing  checkers, 
Henry  Martin  for  swearing  and  Charles  Fetherstone  and 
Edward  Stratton  for  getting  drunk  and  fighting  on  Sun- 
day, and  some  years  later  Henry  Turner  was  tried  in  the 
same  county  for  stripping  tobacco  on  that  day.  In  1704 
the  grand  jury  of  INIiddlesex  County  indicted  Thomas 
Sims  for  "  travelling  on  the  road  with  a  loaded  beast  "  and 
William  ^Fontague  and  Garrett  Elinor  for  "  bringing 
oysters  on  shore  on  the  Sa])bath." 

Ivater  in  the  period  Sunday  observance  was  less  strict — 
especially  on  the  part  of  the  laboring  people.  Philip 
Fithian  wrote  in  1774: 

"  Sunday  in  Virginia  don't  seem  to  wear  the  same 
dress  as  our  Sundays  to  the  northward.    Generally  here  by 

328 


RIXIGION 


five  o'clock  on  Saturday  every  face  (especially  the  negroes) 
looks  festive  and  cheerful.  All  the  lower  class  of  people 
and  the  servants  and  the  slaves  consider  it  a  day  of  pleasure 
and  amusement." 

One  Sunday  when  he  and  the  Carters  went  to  church  in 
a  boat  he  recorded  in  his  diary,  "  The  Nomini  River  alive 
with  boats,  canoes,  etc.,  some  going  to  church,  some  fishing, 
some  sporting." 

All  sorts  of  surprises  awaited  the  church-goer  in  the 
early  days  of  the  colony,  and  the  preacher  who  could  hold 
the  attention  of  his  audience  must  have  been  eloquent  in- 
deed. JNIany  ofifences  were  considered  crimes  against  the 
Church  as  well  as  the  State,  and  it  was  deemed  proper  that 
punishment,  or  a  part  of  it,  should  be  inflicted  within  the 
sacred  building  and  in  the  presence  of  minister  and  people. 
For  instance,  in  1641,  Christopher  Burroughs  and  Mary, 
his  wife,  were  ordered  to  do  penance  in  their  parish  church 
"  standing  upon  stools  in  the  middle  alley,  wrapped  in 
white  sheets  and  holding  white  wands  in  their  hands,  all 
the  time  of  divine  service,  and  to  say  after  the  minister 
such  words  as  he  should  deliver  unto  them."  In  the  same 
year  Edy  Tooker  was  sentenced  to  do  penance  in  church 
and  "  during  the  exhortation  delivered  unto  her  by  the 
minister  admonishing  her  to  be  sorr}^  for  her  foul  crime 
did,  like  a  most  obstinate  and  graceless  person,  rend  and 
mangle  the  sheet  in  which  she  did  penance."  For  which 
she  was  "  ordered  to  receive  twenty  lashes  and  to  do  pen- 
ance according  to  the  spiritual  laws  and  forms  of  the  church 
of  England  in  the  same  Chapel  Sunday  come  fortnight." 

In  1643  Bartholomew  Haynes  and  a  woman  named 
Julian  Underwood  were  presented  by  the  churchwardens 
of  Elizabeth  River  for  immorality  and  were — 

"  Ordered  to  stand  forth  in  white  sheets  in  the  parish 

S29 


COLONIAL  VIRGINL\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

churcli  at  Sewell's  Point  and,  in  tlie  face  of  the  minister 
and  congregation  in  the  time  of  divine  service,  between 
the  first  and  second  lessons  in  the  forenoon,  make  a  public 
acknowledgment  of  their  fault  and  ask  Almighty  God  for- 
giveness in  these  express  words:  '  I,  Bartholomew  Haynes 
and  Julian  L^nderwood,  do  here  acknowledge  and  confess 
in  the  presence  of  the  whole  congregation  that  I  have 
grievously  sinned  and  offended  against  the  divine  ^lajesty 
of  Almighty  God  and  all  Christian  People  in  committing 
a  foul  and  detestable  crime,  and  am  heartily  sorry  and 
truly  penitent  for  the  same  and  do  unfeignedly  beseech 
Almighty  God  of  his  infinite  goodness  to  be  merciful  unto 
me  and  forgive  this  my  heinous  offence,  and  I  do  heartily 
desire  the  congregation  and  all  good  people  to  forgive  and 
pray  for  me.'  " 

An  ingenuity  which  would  have  delighted  the  heart  of 
a  Dante  was  often  shown  in  making  the  punishment  fit  the 
crime.  In  1648  Robert  Warder,  for  getting  drunk,  was 
sentenced  to  stand  at  the  door  of  Xassawattocks  Church, 
Northampton  County,  '*  with  a  great  pot  tied  about  his 
neck,"  and  Samuel  Wyard,  of  the  same  county,  who  had 
stolen  a  pair  of  breeches,  "  to  appear  during  the  whole 
time  of  service  for  three  Sundays,  with  a  pair  of  breeches 
tied  around  his  neck  and  the  word  Thief,  written  on  his 
back." 

The  colonists  evidently  believed  that  heathen  should  be 
punished  with  few  (or  no)  stripes  in  this  world,  as  the  Bible 
gives  us  to  believe  they  will  be  in  the  next.  In  1005  Joane 
Scot,  the  first  Gypsy  mentioned  in  the  records,  was  brought 
before  the  grand  jury  for  immoral  conduct,  but  was  dis- 
charged, as  the  Court  was  of  the  opinion  that  "  the  law 
did  not  touch  her — she  bcinnr  an  Kcfvptinn  and  no  Christian 

woman." 

sso 


By  courtesy  of  Harpers  Magazine 

INTERIOR  OF  CHRIST  CHURCH,  MIDDLESEX 


THE  OLDEST  AMERICAN  COMMUNION  SERVICE 
St.  John's  Cburcb,  Hampton 


Ife 


RELIGION 


The  earliest  day  of  public  thanksgiving  known  to  have 
been  celebrated  in  Virginia  was  March  23,  1623 — the  first 
anniversary  of  the  Indian  Massacre — and  was  appointed 
by  Act  of  the  Assembly  to  commemorate  the  preservation 
of  the  colony  from  entire  destruction.  It  was  ordered  that 
the  day  be  "  Yeerly  solemnized  as  holliday,"  and  in  1624 
the  statute  declared  with  ingenious  variation  as  to  spelling: 

"It  is  ordered,  that  the  22d  day  of  March  be  yearelie 
kept  Holy  day  in  commemoration  of  our  deliverance  from 
the  Indians  at  the  bloodie  Massaker  which  happened  upon 
the  22d  of  March  1621  "-2. 

On  April  18,  1644,  occurred  the  second  massacre,  and 
the  year  following  we  find  an  act  of  Assembly : 

"  That  the  eighteenth  day  of  April  be  yearly  cele- 
brated by  thanksgiving  for  our  deliverance  from  the  hands 
of  the  Salvages." 

At  the  same  session  the  pious  lawmakers  ordered  "  for 
God's  glory  and  the  public  benefit  of  the  CoUony,"  that 
"  the  last  Wednesday  in  every  month  be  sett  apart  for  a 
day  of  fFast  and  humiliation,  And  that  it  be  wholy  dedi- 
cated to  prayers  and  preaching." 

The  two  annual  thanksgiving  days  were  continued  by 
later  Assemblies,  but  gradually  fell  into  disuse,  though 
throughout  the  Colonial  period,  days  of  thanksgiving  or 
of  fasting  and  prayer  were  occasionally  ordered  by  procla- 
mation of  the  governor.  For  instance,  in  March,  1692, 
Governor  Sir  Edmund  Andros  appointed  "  a  Solemn  fast 
to  implore  the  blessings  of  God  upon  the  Consultations  of 
the  Assembly,"  and  in  April  of  the  same  year  another  "  to 
avert  God's  Judgment  upon  the  Country  being  sorely 
afflicted  with  measles." 

April  8,  1760,  was  made  a  day  of  public  thanksgiving 
for  the  "  signal  success  of  his  INIajesty's  arms." 

SSI 


COLONIAL  VIRGINLV,   ITS   PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS 

In  a  country  where  there  was  2)lenty  of  room  for  every- 
body, plenty  of  timber  for  building  log  and  frame  houses 
and  for  firewood,  and  plenty  to  eat,  want  was  almost  un- 
known, yet  "  the  poor  of  tlie  parish  "  are  remembered  in 
many,  many  wills,  early  and  late,  and  such  gifts  were 
looked  after  and  dispensed  by  the  vestry  and  church  war- 
dens.   Here  are  a  few  characteristic  examples : 

In  1625  James  Carter  bequeathed  forty  shillings  to  the 
poor  of  tlie  parish  and  fifty  acres  of  land  "  bought  of  my 
Lady  Dale  in  Shirley  Hundred  Island  "  for  a  "  place  of 
residing  for  the  minister."  In  1GG7  Daniel  Boucher,  of 
Isle  of  Wight,  gave  "  to  the  poorest  people  in  the  parish 
.  .  .  one  oxe  conmionly  called  Brand,  with  a  good  loaf 
of  bread  to  each  of  the  poor  people  aforesaid."  In  1674 
Kichard  Bennett,  of  Xansemond,  wlio  had  been  Governor, 
left  to  his  parish  three  hundred  acres  of  land,  the  rents 
from  which  were  to  be  received  by  the  church  wardens 
and  used  for  the  relief  of  "  four  aged  and  impotent  per- 
sons," and  in  174-0  Richard  Bennett,  then  of  Maryland,  left 
thirty  pounds  sterling  a  year  to  the  poor  of  the  same  parish, 
where  he  had  long  lived.  In  1683  Robert  Griggs,  of  I^an- 
caster  County,  bequeathed  twenty  thousand  pounds  of 
tobacco  "  to  those  tliat  are  indecde  truly  poore."  in  1684 
AN'^illiam  Gordon,  of  Middlesex  County,  a  liundred  acres 
of  land  and  two  cows  to  Christ  Church  parish,  and  in  1691 
George  Spencer,  of  I^ancaster,  ten  thousand  pounds  of 
tobacco  to  the  poor  of  Wliite  Cliapcl  parisli  and  twenty 
pounds  sterling  for  a  comnuinion  plate.  In  17*26  "  King  " 
Carter  directed  in  his  will  that  some  of  his  "  friends  and 
poor  neigh])ors  "  be  excused  from  paying  his  estate  "  sun- 
dry debts  and  balances  "  which  they  owed  liim,  and  that 
forty  pounds  worth  of  coarse  goods  be  "distributed  amongst 
the  poor  necessitous  ])eople  of  the  parish." 

SS2 


RELIGION 


In  1750  Griffin  Fauntleroy,  of  Xorthunibcrland 
County,  left  six  cattle  "  to  the  poor  house-keepers  of 
Cherry  Point  Neck,"  in  1751  Frances  Stokes,  of  Amelia 
County,  twenty-five  pounds  to  the  poor  of  Raleigh  parish, 
in  1762  Charles  Carter,  of  "  Cleve,"  "  twenty-five  pounds  a 
year  for  eight  years  to  be  divided  among  the  needy  families 
of  King  George  County,"  and  in  1760  John  Newton,  of 
Westmoreland,  twenty  pounds  to  the  poor  of  Cople  parish. 

Colonel  John  Tayloe,  of  "  Mt.  Airy,"  making  his  will 
in  1744,  and  his  son,  John,  thirty  years  later  made 
unusually  interesting  bequests  to  the  parish  of  Lunen- 
burgh,  in  Richmond  County.  The  father  left  to  the  vestry 
thi'ee  hundred  pounds  current  money,  part  of  which  was  to 
be  spent  upon  two  young  negro  men  and  four  young  negro 
women  who  were  to  be  placed  upon  the  glebe  to  work  for 
the  use  of  the  parish,  while  the  remainder  of  the  mone}^ 
was  to  be  spent  in  tobacco  and  corn  "  to  clothe  the  naked 
and  feed  the  poor  of  the  parish,  not  intending  to  lessen  the 
usual  parish  allowance  to  the  poor."  He  also  gave  two  sows 
and  pigs,  ten  young  cows  and  a  bull  to  be  placed  upon 
the  glebe.  The  son  left  to  the  minister  and  vestry  five 
hundred  pounds  sterling,  in  trust,  "  for  the  use  of  the 
poorest  inhabitants  of  the  parish,  being  honest  people,  to 
be  put  on  interest  and  the  profits  to  be  distributed  every 
year  at  the  door  of  the  lower  church  of  said  parish  on 
Restoration  day,"  when  the  minister  was  requested  to 
"  give  them  a  prayer  and  sermon,  not  mentioning  this  be- 
quest." He  directed  that  the  legacy  should  "  continue 
forever." 

It  does  continue  to-day  and  the  parish  still  uses  a  hand- 
some silver  communion  service  presented  to  it  by  one  of 
these  masters  of  beautiful  old  "  INIt.  Airy." 

Bishop  INIeade's  valuable  and  widely  read  work  on  old 

22  333 


COLONIAL  MlU;iNL\,   ny>    PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

churches  in  Virginia  has  produced  upon  the  minds  of  those 
unfamihar  witli  the  original  records  an  erroneous  impres- 
sion of  the  ministers  of  the  colony.  The  great  Bishop  was 
of  the  extreme  evangelical,  low  church  type,  and  judged 
the  clergy  not  hy  the  standards  of  their  own  time  hut 
according  to  his  private  opinions.  ^Measured  thus  even, 
he  was  able  to  brand  as  men  of  bad  character  only  some 
fourteen  or  fifteen  out  of  hundreds.  Among  these  were 
a  few  like  Gronow  Owen — the  distinguished  Welsh  poet — 
and  Commissary  Thomas  Dawson,  who  furnished  strange 
instances  of  ministers  who  drank  to  excess,  but  were,  apart 
from  this  weakness,  good  men. 

Some  men  probably  went  into  the  Church  in  Virginia, 
as  in  Kngland,  simply  as  a  profession  and  there  were  doubt- 
less others  who  were  mere  adventurers  and  would  have 
been  unfit  for  the  ministry  at  any  time.  But  thorough 
study  of  all  existing  evidences  makes  it  plain  that  the  great 
mass  of  the  Colonial  Virginia  clergy  were  well  educated 
and  worthy  men. 

True,  the  records  sometimes  show  us  zealous  parish 
priests  censuring  their  colder  and  more  formal  brethren, 
and  during  Governor  Spotswood's  administration,  when 
factional  feeling  ran  high,  we  find  the  House  of  Bur- 
gesses, who  were  bitterly  antagonistic  to  the  Ciovernor, 
condemning  the  ministers  for  adhering  to  him  and 
declaring: 

"  The  Clergy  in  Virginia  are  in  such  precarious  cir- 
cumstances and  many  of  them  so  obnoxious  that  if  they  do 
not  keep  in  the  (Governors'  favor  they  run  the  hazard  of 
losing  their  benefices." 

But  from  such  light  as  we  have  on  the  character  of 
the  clergy  of  that  time  no  ground  for  these  charges  of  the 
House  can  be  found. 

3S4 


PLAN  OF  WASHIMiTONS  PARISH   (  lit  KCH 


RELIGION 


When  a  clergyman  was  guilty  of  conduct  unworthy 
of  his  calling,  there  was  quick  action  on  the  part  of  the 
vestries  or  of  the  Governor  and  Council  of  State,  'i'he 
earliest  known  instance  of  such  misconduct  was  in  1625 
when  the  Reverend  Greville  Pooley — the  same  that  was 
jilted  by  the  widow  Cicely  Jordan — and  Mr.  Thomas 
Pawlett  were  brought  before  the  general  court  for  quarrel- 
ling in  the  church  at  Charles  City.  According  to  the  tes- 
timony, upon  St.  Stephen's  Day,  Mr.  Pooley  and  his  flock 
met  to  pray  and  also  to  consider  removal  of  the  church 
to  another  site — a  subject  which  has  always  been  and 
always  will  be  productive  of  bitter  feeling  among  church 
members.  During  the  discussion  a  violent  quarrel  arose 
between  Mr.  Pooley  and  Mr.  Pawlett.  Mr.  Pooley  gave 
Mr.  Pawlett  the  lie,  to  which  Mr.  Pawlett  replied  that 
the  minister  was  a  "  proud  priest,"  a  "  purjured  man  "  and 
a  "  blockhead  parson  who  spoke  false  Latin  and  taught 
false  doctrine." 

The  court  condemned  the  behavior  of  the  priest  as 
severely  as  that  of  his  parishioner.  Councillor  Francis 
West  said  that  in  his  opinion  "  the  grossest  words  Mr. 
Pawlett  gave  IMr.  Pooley  could  not  equal  the  lie,  which 
word  toucheth  his  reputation  in  the  highest  nature  of  a 
gentleman,  valuing  it  as  near  and  dear  unto  him  as  his 
life."  Both  offenders  were  sentenced  to  ask  the  forgive- 
ness of  the  congregation,  and  Mr.  Pawlett  was  ordered  to 
pay  Mr.  Pooley  three  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco. 

An  example  of  how  the  Governor  and  Council  disposed 
of  ministers  shown  to  be  men  of  evil  life  is  found  in  1742, 
when  the  Reverend  INIr.  Blewit,  of  North  Farnham  Par- 
ish, Richmond  County,  was  tried  for  "  drunkenness,  pro- 
fane swearing  and  other  immoralities  and  misdemeanors." 
The  charges  were  proved  and  the  court  declared  that  he 

335 


COLONIAL  VIRGLMA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

was  a  "  scandal  to  his  function  "  and  recommended  that 
the  Commissary  deprive  him  of  his  charge  and  the  Gover- 
nor appoint  another  in  his  place. 

A  beautiful  church  in  North  Farnham  Parish  has  long 
been  in  ruins,  but  is  now  undergoing  restoration. 

Sometimes  dictatorial  and  unreasonable  conduct  of  a 
vestrj"  made  the  life  of  the  minister  uncomfortable.  The 
vestry  was  all-powerful.  It  was  composed  of  the  most 
influential  men  in  the  parish,  built  and  equipped  the 
churches  and  chapels  of  ease,  chose  the  minister  and,  upon 
occasion,  dismissed  him,  collected  his  salary  and  provided 
his  glebe,  cared  for  the  poor,  and  looked  after  the  morals 
of  the  community. 

Some  of  the  complaints  made  against  ministers  seem 
to-day  to  have  been  for  extremely  tri\'ial  causes.  The 
vestry  of  St.  John's  Parish,  King  William  County,  "  sol- 
emnly declared  "  to  Governor  Nicholson  that  their  objec- 
tion to  the  Reverend  John  ]Monro  was  not  "  on  account 
of  his  being  of  the  Scottish  Nation."  Nevertheless,  they 
naively  added,  "  Tho  we  must  confess  an  Englishman 
would  be  more  acceptable."  In  1743  the  vestry  of  Charles 
Parish,  York  County,  brought  charges  against  the  Rev- 
erend Theodosius  Staige,  for  refusing  to  christen  ille- 
gitimate children  and  opposing  singing  the  new  version 
of  the  Psalms,  and  prayed  the  Ciovernor  and  Council  to 
remove  him.  The  Council  found  him  "guilty  of  the  sev- 
eral misdemeanors  charged  against  him  "  and  ordered  that 
he  comply  with  the  wishes  of  his  vestry  or  l)e  allowed  six 
months  to  j)rovide  himself  with  another  charge.  He  not 
only  found  a  new  parish,  but  gave  entire  satisfaction  in  it. 

Church  music  seems  to  have  been  a  vexed  question 
then,  as  since.  In  1774  the  grand  jury  of  Chester- 
field  County  actually   indicted   the  Reverend   Archibald 


RELIGION 


JSIcRoberts,  of  Dale  Parish,  for  "  JMaking  use  of  Hymns 
or  poems  in  the  Church  service  instead  of  David's  Psalms, 
contrary  to  law."  The  petit  jury  found  that  he  had  used 
such  hynms  after  the  communion  service  and  after  the 
sermon. 

But  there  is  abundant  evidence  of  the  high  regard  in 
which  many  colonial  clergj^men  were  held.  To  illustrate: 
Commissary  William  Dawson — himself  a  man  of  learning 
and  exemplary  life — writing  to  the  Bishop  of  London, 
in  1734,  of  the  death  of  the  Reverend  Bartholomew  Yates, 
says: 

"  Piety  to  God  and  beneficence  to  men  were  the  only 
acts  of  his  excellent  life.  In  him  wisdom  and  goodness  were 
eminent^ly  conjoined." 

In  1730  Governor  Sir  William  Gooch  wrote  that  he 
had  so  good  an  account  of  the  behavior  of  Reverend  Chi- 
chely  Thacker  while  at  the  University  of  Oxford,  that 
he  had  no  doubt  he  would  prove  an  acceptable  minister, 
and  in  1745  he  declared  that  the  Reverend  James  Scott 
"  was  a  man  of  discretion,  understanding  and  integrity 
and  in  every  way  qualified  to  discharge  the  sacred  office." 

In  1764  the  celebrated  George  Mason  wrote  a  most 
affectionate  letter  to  the  widow  of  Reverend  John  Mon- 
cure,  who  had  just  died,  expressing  warm  admiration  of 
her  husband.    Plenty  of  other  instances  might  be  given. 

As  has  also  happened  in  later  times,  pretenders  occa- 
sionally tried  to  impose  upon  the  Church.  In  1755  this 
advertisement  appeared  in  the  Virginia  Gazette: 

"  As  a  Person  pretending  to  be  the  son  of  the  late  Duke 
of  Wirtemberg,  and  in  holy  Orders,  and  taking  upon  him- 
self the  Names  and  Titles  of  Carolus,  Ludovicus,  Ru- 
dolphvs,  Wirtemberg ,  pnnceps,  A.M.,  M.D.,  hath  ob- 
tained Liberty,  according  to  his  report  of  preaching  in 

337 


COLONIAL  MRGINM,  ITS   PEOPLE  AND   CUSTORIS 


several  Churches  within  this  Dominion.  This  is  to  give 
notice  to  all  Ministers  and  others  that  the  said  Person  is 
an  Impostor.  He  is  a  short,  middle-aged  Man,  a  most 
Notorious  Liar  and  affects  to  speak  broken  English.  In 
order  therefore  to  put  a  stop  to  this  and  the  like  shameful 
irregularities  for  the  future.  His  Honor  the  Governor 
hereby  strictly  charges,  and  commands  all  Ministers,  or  in 
their  Absence  the  Church  Wardens,  not  to  allow  a 
Stranger,  or  any  itinerant  Preacher,  under  any  Pretence 
whatever,  to  officiate  in  their  churches  or  chapels,  unless 
they  have  previously  qualified  themselves,  as  the  Constitu- 
tion and  Canons  of  the  Church  of  England  and  the  Law 
of  this  country  expressly  provide." 

For  a  few  years  of  the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth 
century  there  were  quite  a  number  of  Puritans  in  Xanse- 
mond  and  Lower  Norfolk  counties,  but  most  of  these 
soon  removed  to  Maryland  or  conformed  to  the  Established 
Church.  During  the  gi'eater  part  of  the  Colonial  period 
tlierc  were  in  Virginia  but  few  dissenters  from  the  Church  of 
England,  with  the  exception  of  the  Quakers — who  had  all 
the  virtues  of  their  sect,  but,  save  in  certain  customs 
peculiar  to  them,  they  seem  to  have  lived  very  much 
like  their  neighbors.  In  tlie  seventeenth  century  they  were 
subjected  to  sharp  persecution  and  some  of  them  were 
whipped,  others  im2)risoncd  or  banished,  yet  as  long  as  this 
lasted  they  increased  and  prospered.  There  was  happily 
a  cessation  of  the  persecution  after  James  II 's  decla- 
ration j)erniitting  liberty  of  conscience,  wliich  was  pro- 
claimed in  Virginia  and  ordered  to  be  "  celebrated  with 
beate  of  Drum  and  the  Firing  of  ye  Great  (iunns,  and 
with  all  the  Joyfulness  that  tliis  Collony  is  capable  to 
Express." 

During  most  of  tlie  eighteenth  century  the  Quakers 

338 


t^lAKKR  MI;KTIN(;  HorSK,  CKDAU  CUKKK,  HANOVKK  (  ()l  ntv 

Huill  1770 


OLD  STONK  (  niKCH   iI'KKSHYTKIUAN;,  ALGLSTA  COUNTY 


RELIGION 


were  permitted  to  quietly  attend  their  nieetiiifr  liouses, 
but,  like  all  dissenters,  were  taxed  for  the  support  of  the 
Established  Church.  Though  they  far  outnumbered  any 
other  dissenting  body  in  the  colony  during  most  of  the 
period,  they  were  too  few  to  produce  any  noticeable  effect 
on  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  general  population. 

Before  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  great 
religious  revival  which  had  begun  in  England  spread  to  the 
colonies.  We  have  accounts  of  Whitefield's  preaching  at 
Bruton  parish  church,  and  at  Blandford — when  the  negroes 
in  the  gallery  were  moved  to  tears — but  it  was  not  until 
close  to  the  end  of  the  Colonial  period  that  the  Virginia 
Methodist  and  Baptist  churches  were  founded.  These 
great  denominations — which  when  once  started  rapidly 
grew  and  later  became  immensely  influential  for  good — 
just  touch  the  period  treated  of  in  this  book.  The 
Methodists,  indeed,  did  not  regard  themselves  as  a  separate 
body  until  after  the  Revolution,  for  in  1776  they  sent  a 
petition  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  protesting 
against  the  disestablishment  of  the  Colonial  Church  and 
declaring  that  their  denomination,  three  thousand  strong, 
was  "  a  Religious  Society  in  Communion  with  the  Church 
of  England." 

In  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century  by  far  the 
largest  dissenting  churches  were  the  Presbyterians  and  the 
various  denominations  of  German  Protestants.  In  the 
eastern  and  central  parts  of  the  colony  the  glowing,  evan- 
gelistic preaching  of  Samuel  Davies  and  James  Waddell, 
men  of  great  eloquence  and  ability,  contributed  largely 
toward  laying  the  foundation  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
but  the  homes  of  those  who  became  Presbyterians  and  of 
the  Presbyterian  emigrants  into  these  sections  were  scat- 
tered about  among  those  of  adherents  of  the  Established 

339 


COLONIAL  MRGINU,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Church,  and  but  for  their  religious  behefs  and  possibly  a 
somewhat  greater  strictness  in  regard  to  amusements,  their 
lives  were  much  the  same. 

In  The  Valley  it  was  different.  There,  in  Augusta, 
Rockbridge,  and  neighboring  districts  the  population  was 
made  up  almost  entirely  of  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians, 
while  in  many  places  lower  down  it  was  composed  largely 
of  Germans.  These  people  had  their  own  churches  and 
schools — some  of  the  churches  being  of  stone  and  palisaded 
for  defence  against  the  Indians — and  their  habits  of  life 
were  decidedly  different  from  those  of  the  dwellers  east  of 
the  Blue  Ridge;  but  by  reason  of  the  remoteness  of  their 
situation  they  had  little  or  no  influence  on  the  manners  of 
the  colony  beyond  their  own  limits. 

The  people  of  Eastern  Virginia,  where  the  Church  of 
England  prevailed,  have  been  repeatedly  charged  with 
failure  to  live  up  to  its  teachings.  It  would  be  foolish  to 
contend  that  they  always  did,  for  Virginia  both  east  and 
west  of  the  mountains,  was  settled  by  human  beings,  not 
by  saints  or  angels,  and  it  may  be  as  well  to  add  that  any  one 
who  imagines  that  every  Scotch-Irishman  in  The  Valley 
wa^  a  godly  Presbyterian  is  vastly  mistaken. 

In  looking  back  to  those  days  when  intense  feeling 
created  by  differences  of  creed  and  opinion  carried  men 
in  Europe  as  well  as  in  America  any  length,  it  is  a  subject 
of  gratiHcation  to  Virginians  that,  though  there  was  in  the 
colony  much  irritating  and  troublesome  persecution  in  the 
way  of  fines,  and  some  banishments  and  imprisonments, 
no  one  was  ever  j)ut  to  death  witliiii  its  borders  for  either 
religious  views  or  witchcraft,  nor  with  the  exception  of 
some  whippings — not  many  apparently — and  where  witch- 
craft was  the  charge,  a  few  duckings,  were  such  offenders 
made  to  submit  to  corporal  ])unishment. 


XV 
FUNERAL  CUSTOMS 


N  Colonial  Virginia  funerals  were 
social  as  well  as  solemn  occasions. 
When  death  entered  the  planter's 
home,  messengers  were  sent  on  horse- 
back over  land,  or  by  sail  or  row  boat 
up  and  down  the  rivers  to  notify 
friends  and  relatives,  while  in  the 
kitchen  the  big  pot  was  put  into  the  little  one;  for  not  only 
did  the  colonists  bring  with  them  the  English  custom  of 
the  funeral  feast,  but  nmch  of  the  company  that  would  be 
ere  long  at  the  door  would  arrive  hungry  after  a  journey 
of  many  miles  and  would  remain  several  days,  consuming 
a  great  quantity  of  food  and  drink.  The  funeral  expenses 
of  John  Smalcombe,  who  died  in  1645,  included  a  steer 
about  four  years  old  and  a  barrel  of  strong  beer,  which 
together  cost  nine  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  of  tobacco — 
nearly  four  times  as  much  as  the  coffin,  which  cost  two 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  Powder  " spent  at  this  funeral" 
cost  twenty-four  pounds  of  tobacco. 

The  firing  of  guns  seems  to  have  been  a  regular  part  of 
the  ceremony,  as  an  act  passed  by  the  Assembly  in  1655 
forbids  the  wasting  of  powder  at  entertainments,  "  mar- 
riages and  fFunerals  onely  excepted." 

Among  the  provisions  of  the  funeral  feast  of  ]Mrs. 
Frances  Eppes,  in  1678,  were  a  steer,  three  sheep,  five 
gallons  of  wine,  two  gallons  of  brandy,  ten  pounds  of 
butter,  and  eight  pounds  of  sugar.  Later  we  find  the  same 
custom  prevailing  in  The  Valley,  where,  in  1767,  one 
of  the  bills  against  the  estate  of  James  Hughes  was  for 
"making  cakes  at  the  funeral,"  and  in  1774  the  funeral 
expenses  of  John  McClanahan  included  three  gallons 
of  wine,  over  nineteen  gallons  of  spirits,  twenty-seven 

341 


COLONIAL  VIRGINU,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOIVIS 

pounds  of  flour  and  a  quantity  of  cheese,  butter,  and  sugar. 

Among  other  items  in  funeral  ])ills  are  "  warning  to 
the  funeral,"  "  ribbons  and  scarfing,"  "  sitting  up  with  the 
corpse,"  and  fees  to  the  minister  and  clerk. 

No  doubt  the  guests  for  whom  the  feast  was  spread 
wept  real  tears  as,  one  by  one  or  in  groups,  they  visited 
the  still  chamber  and  looked  for  the  last  time  on  the  features 
of  the  one  they  were  there  to  honor,  no  doubt  they  recalled 
with  genuine  feeling  graces  of  character  and  mind  which 
suddenly  stood  out  more  clearly  in  the  stately  presence  of 
death  than  they  ever  had  in  life  and  which  blotted  out  all 
recollection  of  limnan  weakness  or  fault;  yet  where  con- 
genial friends  who  had  not  met  for  weeks,  or  it  may  be 
for  months,  gathered  under  a  familiar  roof  and  in  an 
atmosphere  mellow  with  a  nuitual  sense  of  loss,  to  spend 
several  days  renewing  old  acquaintance  and  exchanging 
reminiscences,  the  sorrowful  occasion  would  have  held  its 
element  of  pleasure  under  any  circumstances.  But  there 
was  always  at  hand  a  good  and  sufficient  supply  of  the 
liquids  that  are  supposed  to  drown  sorrow,  and  it  is  more 
than  likely  that  ere  long  lowered  tones  and  mournful  looks 
gave  way  to  some  degree  of  hilarity.  Thomas  Lee,  of 
Westmoreland,  said,  in  his  will,  in  1749: 

"  Having  observed  nuich  indecent  mirth  at  Funerals, 
I  desire  that  Last  Piece  of  Human  Vanity  be  Omitted, 
and  that  attended  only  by  some  of  those  friends  and  liela- 
tions  that  are  near,  my  Body  may  l)e  silently  interred  with 
only  the  Church  Ceremony,  and  that  a  Funeral  sermon  for 
Instruction  to  the  living  be  Preaclied  at  the  Parish  Church 
near  Stratford  on  any  other  Day." 

IVIany  Virginians  of  the  time  in  making  their  wills  gave 
directions  in  regard  to  their  funerals.  Some  of  these  left 
tlie  details  to  the  judgment  of  their  executors,  as  did 
Bobert  Newman,  of  Northumberland,  in  10.5.5,  whose  wish 

Sii 


FUNERAL  CUSTOMS 


was  "  to  be  buried  in  a  decent  manner  according  to  my 
rank  and  quality,"  but  tliey  were  usually  more  explicit. 
All  of  the  churches  had  graveyards,  but  these  were  used 
almost  exclusively  by  persons  living  in  the  neighborhood 
or  by  transients.  Far  more  popular  was  the  family  bury- 
ing ground,  to  be  found  in  the  garden,  or  at  some 
other  convenient  spot,  on  every  plantation.  Christopher 
Wormeley,  of  INIiddlesex,  who  died  in  1701,  directed  that 
he  be  buried  in  his  garden  between  his  "  first  wife," 
Frances,  and  his  "last  wife,"  Margaret;  and  Robert 
Carter,  who  was  also  twice  married,  declared  in  his  will, 
in  1732: 

"  I  order  my  body  to  be  laid  in  the  yard  of  Christ 
Church  near  and  upon  the  right  hand  of  my  wives."  He 
desired  a  "  decent "  funeral  and  a  monument  the  value  of 
his  "  last  wife's."  What  is  left  of  the  "  king's  "  monument 
show^s  it  to  have  been  one  of  the  stateliest  of  the  period. 

Thomas  Lee,  whose  will  has  already  been  quoted,  gave 
directions  for  his  last  resting  place  which  throw  interesting 
and  tender  light  on  his  family  relations. 

"  As  to  my  Body,"  he  wrote,  "  I  desire  if  it  Pleases 
God  that  I  dye  anywhere  in  Virginia,  if  it  be  Possible,  I 
desire  that  I  may  be  buried  between  my  late  Dearest  Wife 
and  my  honored  INIother  and  that  the  Bricks  on  the  side 
next  my  wife  may  be  moved  and  my  Coffin  Placed  as  near 
hers  as  possible  without  disturbing  the  remains  of  my 
Mother." 

Frequently  the  last  will  and  testament  was  especially 
particular  as  to  whether  there  should  or  should  not  be  a 
sermon.  In  1G39  Nicholas  Harwood,  of  the  Eastern 
Shore,  desired  in  his  "  that  IMr.  Cotton  make  a  sermon," 
while  in  1645  George  IVIenifee,  the  richest  merchant  of  his 
time  in  Virginia  and  a  member  of  his  INIajesty's  Council, 
directed  that  he  be  buried  in  Westover  Church,  and  left  the 

343 


COLONIAL  VIRGIxNIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

minister  twenty  pounds  sterling  and  a  thousand  pounds 
of  tobaeeo  for  preaching  his  funeral  sermon.  The  will  of 
George  Jordan,  of  Surry  County,  made  in  1678,  contains 
this  unique  clause: 

"  On  the  15th  day  of  every  October  there  shall  be  a 
sermon  of  Mortality  preached  at  my  house,  it  being  the 
day  my  daughter,  Fortune  Hunt  died,  and  whosoever  shall 
enjoy  my  land,  although  it  be  a  thousand  generations  hence, 
shall  perform  this  sermon  and  prayer." 

In  1098  Lawrence  Washington  directed  that  his  funeral 
expenses  should  not  exceed  three  hundred  pounds  of 
tobacco,  but  he  wished  "  a  sermon  at  the  Church." 

On  the  other  hand,  in  175G,  Philip  Grymes,  of  ]VIiddle- 
sex,  declared  that  he  wished  "  no  funeral  sermon — prayers 
only,"  and  no  one  to  go  into  mourning  except  his  wife  if 
she  chose,  and  in  the  same  year  Philip  Rootes,  of  King 
and  Queen  County,  directed  that  his  coffin,  which  was  to 
be  made  of  planks  from  his  own  home,  be  carried  to  the 
grave  by  four  of  his  negroes  and  decently  interred  in  the 
presence  of  a  few  neighbors,  "  without  any  pomp  or  funeral 
sermon,"  and  that  none  of  his  family  go  into  mourning. 
In  1757  William  Beverley,  of  "  Blandrteld,"  also  desired 
his  body  to  be  "  as  privately  interred  as  may  be,  without  any 
pomp  or  funeral  sermon/'  while  in  1702  Edwin  Conway, 
of  I^ancastcr  County,  directed  that  the  parish  minister, 
Reverend  David  Curric,  be  paid  forty  shillings  for  reading 
the  burial  service  over  him,  but  wished  no  funeral  sermon. 

Women  were  as  explicit  as  men  as  to  their  funerals. 
Mrs.  Kli'/abeth  Stith,  a  rich  widow  of  Isle  of  Wight,  in 
licr  will  made  in  1774',  appointed  her  pall  bearers  and 
added : 

"  I  desire  not  to  have  any  funeral  but  a  decent  burial, 
with  only  my  relations  and  near  neighbors  at  it;  and  that 
the  parson  and  dark  with  the  four  men  that  bear  me  to 

'Mi 


FUNERAL  CUSTOMS 


the  grave  shall  have  hat  bands  and  gloves;  and  that  I  may 
havT  a  plain,  black  walnut  coffin." 

Wills  contain  many  references  to  the  wearing  of 
mom-ning,  besides  the  hmidreds  of  legacies  of  mourning 
rings.  For  instance,  in  1700  George  Brent,  of  Stafford 
County,  bequeathed  his  brother-in-law  and  his  physician 
a  guinea  each  to  buy  black  gloves  to  be  worn  in  his  honor; 
in  1704  William  Sedgwick,  of  York  County,  left  his 
brother  ten  pounds  sterling,  "  to  buy  a  suite  of  mourning," 
and  in  1726  "  King  "  Carter  ordered  in  his  will  that  upon 
his  death  all  his  children  and  grandchildren  be  put  into 
mourning  at  the  expense  of  his  estate. 

When  news  had  been  received  in  Virginia  of  the  death 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales  in  1751,  President  John  Blair,  of 
the  Council,  wrote  in  his  diary: 

"  We  went  into  mourning  for  ye  Prince,"  and  three 
months  later  he  wrote,  "  This  day  we  went  into  second 
mourning." 

Sometimes  the  testator  added  to  instructions  for  his 
funeral  the  inscription  for  his  tombstone.  Among  these 
was  Richard  Cole,  a  wealthy  but  dissipated  planter,  of 
Westmoreland,  who  in  his  will  ordered  that  his  body  be 
buried  upon  his  plantation,  "  Salisbury  Park,"  "  in  a  neat 
coffin  of  black  w^alnut,  and  over  it  a  gravestone  of  black 
marble  to  be  sent  for  out  of  England,"  with  his  "  Coate 
Armour  engraved  in  brass  &  under  it  this  epitaph : 

Here  lies  Dick  Cole  a  grievous  Sinner 
That  died  a  Little  before  Dinner 
Yet  hopes  in  Heaven  to  find  a  place 
To   Satiate  his  soul  with  Grace. 

The  direction  for  the  epitaph  was  rescinded  in  a  codi- 
cil— w^hether  or  not  the  "  grievous  sinner  "  or  only  the 
grievous  poet  repented,  this  witness  cannot  say.  In  the 
older  parts  of  the  colony  the  soil  was  sandy,  with  little  or 

345 


COLONIAL  VIRGINU,  ITS   PEOPLE  AND    CUSTOMS 

no    stone,    and    all    tombstones    were    brought    "  out    of 
England." 

There  was  at  least  one  other  Virginian  who  ordered 
that  he  be  registered  in  a  marble  as  a  sinner,  but  did  not 
change  his  mind,  for  his  tombstone  with  the  epitaph  given 
in  his  will,  in  1097,  may  be  seen  to-day  in  Jamestown 
churchyard  and  says  to  every  passer-by : 

*'  Here  lies  William  Sherwood  ...  a  great  Sinner 
waiting  a  Joyful  Resurrection." 

The  will  of  John  Custis,  made  in  1749,  is  nothing  if 
not  original  and  shows  that  if  he  was  not  by  nature  eccen- 
tric, his  stormy  married  life  had  made  him  so.  Here  are 
his  directions  in  regard  to  his  burial: 

"  My  Executor  to  lay  out  and  expend  as  soon  as  possible 
after  my  decease  the  sum  of  one  hundred  pounds  sterling 
to  buy  a  handsome  tombstone,  the  best  durable  white  mar- 
ble, large,  and  built  of  the  most  durable  stone  that  can  be 
purchased  for  pillars,  very  decent  and  handsome  to  lay 
over  my  dead  body,  engraved  on  the  tombstone  my  coat  of 
arms,  which  are  tlirce  parrots,  and  my  will  is  that  the  fol- 
lowing inscription  may  also  be  handsomely  engraved  on 
the  said  stone  viz: 

Under  this  Marble  Stone  lyes  the  Body  of  the  Hon- 
ourable John  Custis  Esquire  of  the  City  of  Williamsburg 
and  Parish  of  Bruton,  formerly  of  Hungars  Parish  on  the 
Eastern  Shoar  of  Virginia  and  County  of  Northampton 
the  place  of  his  Nativity  Aged  .  .  .  years  yet  lived  but 
seven  years  which  was  the  space  of  time  he  kept  Batchelor's 
House  at  Arlington  on  the  Eastern  Shoar  of  A'irijinia. 
This  Inscription  put  on  this  Stone  by  his  own  positive 
Orders.' 

"  And  I  do  desire  and  my  will  is  and  I  here  strictly  re- 
quire it  that  as  soon  as  possible  my  real  dead  body,  and  not 
a  sham  coHin,  be  carried  to  my  plantation  on  the  Eastern 


FUNERAL  CUSTOMS 


Shoar  of  Virginia,  called  Arlington,  and  there  my  real  dead 
body  be  buried  by  my  Grandfather  the  Honorable  John 
Custis  Esquire." 

If  his  heir  does  not  carry  out  his  instructions  he  is  to  be 
cut  off  with  a  shilling.    His  instructions  were  carried  out. 

The  seven  years  when  he  kept  "  bachelor's  house  "  were 
those  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  Frances,  daughter  of  the 
dashing  Colonel  Parke. 

As  to  epitaphs,  it  is  of  course  possible  to  give  here  but 
very  few — choosing  those  which  seem  especially  illustra- 
tive of  the  manners  and  thought  of  the  time. 

The  oldest  tombstone  in  Virginia  with  a  legible  inscrip- 
tion is  that  of  JSIrs.  Alice  Jordan  at  "  Four  Mile  Tree,"  in 
Surry  County.     This  is  the  epitaph: 

Here  L^^eth  Buried  The  Body  of  Alice  Myles  daughter  of 
John  Myles  of  Branton,  neare  Herreford,  Gent,  and  late  wife  of 
Mr,  George  Jordan  in  Virginia  who  Departed  this  Life  the  7th 
of  January  1650. 

Reader,  her  dust  is  here  Inclosed 
Who  was  of  witt  and  grace  composed 
Her  life  was  Vertuous  during  breath 
But  highly  Glorious  in  her  death. 

These  quaint  inscriptions  bring  a  smile  to  the  lip  of 
the  reader  of  to-day,  but  amusing  as  they  are,  they  are  in- 
structive too,  and  throw  many  side-lights  on  the  life  of 
the  people.  The  mere  names  and  dates  which  some  of 
them  give  supply  links  in  family  history  that  without  them 
would  be  missing.  Others  connect  those  who  sleep  in 
peace  under  tombstones  in  Virginia  with  their  ancestors 
beyond  the  sea — as  does  that  of  Governor  Edward  Digges 
which  says  that  he  died  in  1675  and  was  "  Sonn  of  Sir 
Dudley  Digges,  of  Chilham,  in  Kent,  Knight  and  Baronett 
Master  of  the  Rolls  in  the  reign  of  King  Charles  the  1st  "; 
and  that  on  the  mural  monument  of  William  Chamber- 
si? 


COUJMAL  MUGIMA,   ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

laync,  in  St.  Peter's  Chureli,  New  Kent  County,  which  de- 
clares tliat  that  freiitlenian  was  "  descended  of  an  Ancient 
and  worthy  P'aniily  in  the  County  of  Hereford." 

Others  still,  furnish  hrief  biographical  sketches  of 
those  whom  they  memorialize.  To  this  group  belong  the 
elaborate  epitaph  of  AVilliam  Byrd,  the  second,  on  his 
tomb  in  the  garden  at  "  Westover,"  and  that  of  William 
Randolph,  the  second,  at  "  Turkey  Island,"  which  not  only 
tells  us  that  he  was  "  of  an  ancient  and  eminent  family  of 
Northamptonshire,"  England,  but  that  "  Having  been  in- 
troduced early  in  Business  and  passed  through  many  of  the 
inferior  offices  of  Government  with  Reputation  &  eminent 
capacity,  he  was  at  last,  by  his  ^lajesty's  happy  choice  and 
the  universal  approbation  of  his  country,  advanced  to  the 
Council,"  in  Virginia.  The  epitaph  concludes  a  list  of 
Colonel  Randolph's  many  talents  and  virtues  with,  "  He 
was  conspicuous  for  a  certain  jNIajestic  plainness  of  sense 
and  honor." 

If  the  eulogies  of  epitaphs  cannot  l>e  taken  literally 
always,  they  at  least  show  the  ideal  of  character  of  the  day, 
for  if  the  subject  did  not  have  quite  all  the  virtues  the 
tombstone  gives  him,  they  are  the  ones  his  contemporaries 
most  admired.  A  married  woman's  epitaph  generally  de- 
scribes her  as  obedient  as  well  as  affectionate,  and  a  kind 
mistress  to  her  servants  as  well  as  a  tender  mother  to  her 
children — of  whom  there  were  likely  to  be  a  goodly  num- 
ber. Men  were  loving  husbands  and  fathers  and  go(xl  mas- 
ters; maidens  were  virtuous,  ])eautiful,  and  accomplished. 

]Mrs.  Klizabeth  Lewis,  who  died  in  1()72,  aged  forty- 
seven,  was  the  "  Tender  mother  of  fourteen  children," 
while  the  tomb,  bearing  arms,  of  "  Aliigail,  the  loving  and 
beloved  wife  of  Major  I^ewis  Burwell  of  the  County  of 
Gloucester,  in  Virginia,  Gent,"  declares  that  "  she  de- 
parted this  world  on  the  Pith  day  of  November,  1G92,  aged 

348 


FLTNERAL  CUSTOMS 


36  years,  having  blessed  her  husband  with  four  sons 
and  six  daugliters."  According  to  the  tomb — which  is  also 
armorial — of  Catherine,  wife  of  IMajor  John  AVasliington, 
she  was  "  a  loving  and  obedient  wife,  a  tender  and  ever  in- 
dulgent mother,  a  kind  and  compassionate  mistress." 
Sarah  Timson,  who  died  in  1763,  lived  only  twenty  years, 
but  was  in  that  brief  space  "  a  dutiful  child,  obedient  wife, 
tender  mother  and  kind  mistress."  The  tomb  of  Amy,  the 
wife  of  Reverend  John  Richards,  who  died  on  November 
21,  1725,  has  a  sort  of  postscript  stating  that  "  Near  her 
dear  JMistress  lies  the  body  of  Mary  Ades,  her  faithful  and 
beloved  servant,"  who  died  two  days  later. 

Rachel,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Williams,  who  departed 
this  life  on  July  23,  1746,  was 

Sweet  natured  kind,  giving  ta  all  their  due, 
Supremely  good  and  to  her  Consort  true 
She'd  differ  not,  but  to  his  will  agree 
With  condescending,  sweet  humility. 
Tender  and  loving  to  her  children  dear 
And  to  her  servants  not  at  all  severe. 

Fom'  months  after  this  ideal  wife's  death  the  widower 
consoled  himself  with  a  fifteen-year-old  bride.  On  July  14 
of  the  following  year  the  first  wife's  daughter,  Hannah, 
died  and  was  buried  in  her  mother's  grave,  and  on  July  25, 
just  a  year  and  two  days  after  the  death  of  the  first  wife, 
the  youthful  second  wife  followed  her,  and  over  her  grave 
was  placed  a  stone  bearing  this  inscription : 

Young  men  and  women  all  and  standers  by 
That  on  these  tombs  do  cast  a  wondering  eye 
Call  on  ye  Lord  whilst  in  your  health  and  youth 
For  die  you  must,  it  is  a  certain  truth. 
Your  life,  a  shadow,  is  more  prized  than  gold 
As  for  example  here  you  may  behold 
Beneath  these  mournful  tombs  there  lyeth  three 
Which  maketh  eight  out  of  one  family 
23  349 


COLONIAL  \aRGINL\,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND   CUSTOMS     \ 

Two  loving  virtuous  wives  and  child  most  dear 
All  died  within  two  days  and  one  whole  year 
Whose  patience  quitted  not  their  silent  breast 
But  lull'd  them  into  an  eternal  rest 
To  wait  in  peace  until  that  glorious  day 
The  trumpet  sounds  to  call  them  hence  away. 

This  epitaph  is  one  of  many  which  serves  the  double 
purpose  of  a  memorial  to  the  dead  and  solemn  warning  to 
the  living. 

Lettice  Fitzhugh  Turben-ille  was  evidently  the  model 
of  her  sex  and  time.  According  to  her  tomb  which  bears 
the  arms  of  Turberville  and  Corbin,  impaled : 

From  a  Child  she  knew  the  Scriptures  which  made  her  wise 
unto  Salvation:  From  her  Infancy  she  Learned  to  walk  in  the 
Paths  of  Virtue.  She  was  Beautiful  But  not  Vain:  Witty  But 
not  Talkativ:  Her  Religion  was  Pure  Fervent  Cheerful  and  of 
the  CTiurch  of  England:  Her  Virtue  Steadfast  Easey  Natural: 
Her  Mind  had  that  mixture  of  Nobleness  and  Gentleness  As 
Made  Her  Lovely  in  the  Eyes  of  all  People.  She  Was  Marryed 
to  Capt.  George  Turberville,  May  the  Ifith.  1727.  The  best  of 
Wives  Made  him  the  Happiest  of  Husbands.  She  died  the  10th 
of  Feb.  17f32,  in  the  25th  Year  of  Her  Age  and  6th  of  her  Mar- 
ryage.  Who  can  Express  the  Grief.  Soon  did  She  compleat  her 
Perfection,  Soon  Did  She  finish  her  Course  of  Life.  Early  was  She 
Exempted  from  the  Miseries  of  Human  Life  By  God's  particular 
Grace.     Thus  Doth  He  Deal  With  his  Perticuler  Favorites. 

All   that  was   good   in   Woman   Kind 
A  Beauteous  Form  More  Lovely  Mind 
Lies  Buryed  under  Neath  this  Stone 
Who  liiving  Was  Excelled  by  None. 

The  armorial  tomb  of  the  wife  of  Thomas  Clayton 
declares : 

Here  Sleeps  the  Body  of  Isabella  Clayton  While  her  soul  is 
gone  in  Triumph  to  meet  the  best  of  Husbands  and  never  more 
to  be  Divorced,  by  him  to  be  taught  to  Sing  Eternal  Praises  of 
Gml  .*t  ye  Lamb  For  Ever. 

350 


FUNERAL  CUSTOjVIS 


This  inscription  seems  to  speak  one  word  for  the  wife 
to  two  for  the  hiishand,  but  husbands  had  plenty  of  epi- 
taplis  of  their  own  to  bear  witness  to  their  domestic  virtues. 
A  shining  example  was  William  Bassett,  of  "  Eltham," 
tlie  father  of  thirteen  children,  who  was  "  a  good  Christian, 
a  kind  and  indulgent  father,  an  affectionate  and  obliging 
husband,  a  good  master." 

]Many  tombs  early  and  late,  and  of  both  men  and 
women,  have  Latin  inscriptions.  That  of  Thomas  Nelson, 
the  emigrant,  in  the  churchyard  at  Yorktown,  bears  one, 
beneath  his  arms;  that  of  Richard  Lee  at  "  Mt.  Pleasant  " 
has  a  long  one,  that  of  Benjamin  Harrison  at  **  Westover  " 
has  twenty-seven  lines  of  Latin  with  one  Greek  word,  and 
that  of  Judith,  wife  of  Mann  Page  of  "  Rosewell,"  bears 
arms  and  a  Latin  epitaph  of  thirty-four  lines. 

A  perfect  epitaph  for  a  young  girl  is  that  of  the  armor- 
ial tomb  of  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Major  John  Washing- 
ton, of  Gloucester,  declaring  that  she  was — 

a  Maiden  virtuous  without  reservedness,  wise  without  affecta- 
tion, beautiful  without  knowing  it. 

Other  epitaphs  are  as  concise  as  those  of  today.  For 
instance  that  of  Mrs.  Martha  Aylett,  1747,  simply  tells  us 
that  she  was  "  Wife  of  Philip  Aylett  and  Daughter  of  the 
Honourable  William  Dandridge  and  Unity  Dandridge," 
and  adds  her  age,  date  of  death,  and  names  of  her  children. 

An  air  of  mournful  romance  has  always  seemed  to 
hang  about  the  tomb  of  the  lovely  Evelyn  Byrd  at  tlie  site 
of  old  Westover  Church,  and  during  the  nigh  two  hundred 
years  in  which  she  has  slept  in  it  many  a  stroller  on  the 
banks  of  the  James  River  has  paused  there  to  dream  of  the 
days  when  beauteous  maidens  died  of  broken  hearts  and  per- 
chance to  lay  a  white  flower,  typical  of  her  purity,  or  a  red 
one  of  the  love  for  which  tradition  says  she  sighed  her  life 
away,  on  the  moss-fretted  stone,  and  to  read  her  epitaph : 

851 


COLONIAL  VIRGINIA,  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  CUSTOMS 

Here  in  the  Sleep  of  Peace 
Reposes  the  Body  of  Mrs.  Evelyn  Byrd 

Daughter 
of  the  Hon'le  William  Byrd  Esqr. 
The  various  &  excellent  endowments 
of  Nature  Improved  and   perfected 
by  an  accomplished  Education 

Formed  her 
For  the  Happiness  of  her  Friends : 
For  an  Ornament  of  her  Country; 

Alas   Reader ! 
One  can  detain  nothing  however  valued 

From  unrelenting  Death: 
Beauty,  Fortune,  or  exalted  Honour! 

See  here  a  Proof! 
And  be  reminded  by  this  awfull  Tomb 
That  every  worldly  comfort  flees  away 

Excepting  only  what  arises 
from  imitating  the  Virtues  of  our  Friends 
And  the  contemplation  of  the  Happiness, 
To  which 

God  was  pleased  to  call  this  I>ady 

On  the  13th  Day  of  Novcmb  1737 

In  the  29th  Year  of  Her  Age. 

A  few  weeks  after  her  death  the  Virginia  Gazette  pub- 
lished this  anonymous  "  Acrostick  upon  Miss  Evelyn 
Byrd,  lately  deceased  " : 

E      ver  constant  to  her  Friend 

Y  igilant  in  Truth's  Defence; 
E     ntcrtaining  to  her  End, 

L     ife!  brimful  of  Eloquence. 

Y  outh  in  Person;  Age  in  Sense 
N      ature  gave  her  Store  immense. 

R     ut  she's  fled  and  is  no  more, 

Y  ondiT  soars  in  Fields  of  Light ! 
R     obbed  of  all  our  little  Store, 

D     cath  !  Oh  Death !  we're  ruined  quite. 
858 


INDEX 


Aberdeen,    Scotland,    227 
Abingdon,  Eng.,  42;  Church,  324 
Abraham's   Delight,  67 
Accouiiic,  Church,  62 ;  County  229, 

321 
Adair,   William,    305 
Adams,    Thomas,    135,    217,    219, 

223,  224 
Adcock,   237,    238 
Ades,  Mary,  349 
Admington,    Eng.,    226 
Albemarle  Co.,  173,  300,  304,  306 
Alexander,  Frances,   178;  Philip, 
293;   Robert,  275 

Alexandria,    102,    144,    246,    255, 
323 

Allen,  Arthur,  75,  99;  John,  326; 
William,  48 

Allerton,   147 

Allicock,  Jerome,  22 

Allington,   Giles,   44 

Allnut,   Thomas,   45 

Alverstock,  Hampshire,  227 

Ambler,    Edward,    255;    Jaquelin, 
183;  John,  292 

Amelia  County,  333 

"  American    Company    of    Come- 
dians, The,"   244 

Amherst  County,  274,  303 

"  Ampthill,"   64 

Anderson,  233 

Andrews,   Charles,   276 

Andros,  Sir  Edmund,  331 

Annapolis,   246,    249,   255 

Anne,   Queen,    139,    192,    225 

"Apollo  Room,"  143,  151,  182 

Appleby  School,  Eng.,  294 

Applewhite,  Henry,   188 

Archer,  Gabriel,   17 

Argall,  Samuel,  31,   l66 


"  Arlington,"  346,  347;  Lord,  102 
Armistead,     53;     Hannah,     176; 
Henry,  171;  William,  121,  172 
Arms  and  Armor,  l6,  33,  39,  187 
Army,  John,  328 
Arnold,  George,  226 
Arran,   Lord,   224 
Arundel,  John,  44 ;  Peter,  44 
Ashbie,  John,  21 
Ashbourne,   Eng.,  226 
Ashley's,    148 
Ashton,   53 
Ashwell,  George,  280 
Association    for   the    Preservation 

of  Virginia  Antiquities,    151 
Aston,  53 

Atchison,  V/alter,  293 
Atkins,  John,  48,  80;  William,  45 
Atkinson,  Roger,  217 
Atwell,  90 

Aubrey,  Richard,  211 
"  Audrey,"   231 
Augusta    County,    91,    125,    149, 

152,    154,   202,   274,   291,   301, 

340 
Aylett,  Martha,  351 ;  Philip,  351 

Bacon,   Nathaniel,   60 

"  Bacon's  Castle,"  99 

Bacon's  Rebellion,  93,  99,  130 

Bagge,   Rev.   John,   52 

Bagwell,  45 

Bahamas,  32 

Baird,  John,  255 

Balfour,  James,  255 

Ball,  53;  Burgess,  90;  Henry  Lee, 
293;  James,  90,  200;  Joseph, 
77;  Mary,  78;  Samuel,  298; 
William,   200,  293 

Ballard,    53 


353 


INDEX 


li.illiul  College-,  Oxford,  293 

Banister,    John,    255 

Bankhead,  William,  293 

Banncrinan,   Mark,  300 

Baptist  Church,  339 

Barbadocs,  128,  296 

Barbar,  Thomas,  269;  Will,  269 

Barham,  Anthony,  42,  45,  96 

"  Barlbrough   Hall,"   36 

Barnabe,  John,  44;  Richard,  44 

"  Barn  Elms,"  275 

Barnett,   Thomas,   48 

Barnham,    John,   44 

Barry,    219 

Baskerville,   John,    297 

Bass,  Nathaniel,  45 

Bassett,   64,    246;    Burwell,    149; 

Judith,  123;  William,  351 
Bates,  John,  45,  47 
Bath,    Eng.,    219,   220,    223 
Bathurst,   50 
Eattc,  36,  51 
"  Battcrsca,"  255 

Baugh,  Rowland,  42;  Thomas,  42 

Baxter,  301 

Baylis,  John,    159 

Baylor,  Courtney,  290;  Elizabeth, 
290;  Frances,  290;  George,  255, 
304;  John,  252,  254,  290,  291, 
304;  John,  Jr.,  282,  292;  Lucy, 
290;    Robert,   304 

Bayly,   John,   47;    Mary,   47 

Baynum,    John,    44 

Beadles,   Gabriel,    18 

Beale,    53;    Nancy,    132 

Beard,  Thomas.  93 

Beaslcy,    Elizabeth,    93 

Beast,    Benjamin,    22 

Brau/'orf,  ship,  261 

Brccrly.    Mrs.    235 

Brckingham,  Robert,  171,  197 

Beckwitli,  50;  Sir  Marmaduke.  254 


Bed,  a  "  great,"  92 

Bedford  Co.,   158 

"  Belfield,"    107 

"  Belvidera,"  129,  278 

"  Belvoir,"  88,  114,  172,  178,  220, 

260 
Bennett,     51;     Edward,     46,    48; 

Richard,  332 ;  Robert,  45 
Bentley,  Matthew,  200;   William, 

45 
"  Berkeley,"    132 
Berkeley,' 49;   Edmund,   94,   206, 
210,    276,    302;    Edward,    43; 
John,  43;  Sir  John,  43;  Sally, 
185;   Sir  William,  49,  95,   102, 
119,   130,   144,  230,  267,   283; 
Springs   152 
Bcrling,  243 
Bermuda  Hundred,  155,  156,  253; 

Islands,  32,  35 
Bernard,  Sir  John,  50;  William, 

50 
Berry,   Hampshire,   227 
Beverley,     53;     Catherine,     108; 
Elizabeth,  202;  Robert,  70,  81, 
89,    104,    107,    119,    128,    134, 
188,  259,  268,   290,  292,  299, 
302,  322 ;  Ursula,  202 ;  William, 
110,    128,    202,    280,    344 
"  Beverley   Park,"    81,    128 
Beverstone      Castle,      Gloucester- 
shire,   43 
Bible,  92,   192,  263,  296,  305 
liickley,  50 

Birmingham,  Eng.,  157 
Blackwell,  William,  300 
Blair,  293;  Anne,  114,  121,  174, 
175,  311  ;  Archibald.  231  ;  Betsy, 
114,  175,  176;  Dr.  James,  139, 
169,  170,  213,  283,  284,  285, 
293;  John,  121,  126.  137.  149, 


S54 


INDEX 


171,  29s,  31  \,  345;  Mrs.  John, 
121;  Sarah,  170,  174 

Blakcney,  Norfolk,  43 

Bland,  51,  291 ;  Richard,  271,  291, 
293,  304;  Theodorick,  Sr,,  216; 
Theodorick,  Jr.,  162,  221,  271, 
291,  293 

"  Blandfield,"   280,   344, 

Blandford    Church,    339 

Blenlieim,   Battle  of,   224 

Blewit,  335 

"  Bloomsbury,"  60 

Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  91,  274, 
305 

Boat-racing,  26 1 

Bohannon,  Jean,  92 ;  Margaret,  92 

Bohun,  Dr.,  37,  38 

Boiling,  51,  314;  Robert,  52,  110, 
291 

Bonall,  Anthony,  44 

Book-plates,   135,   302 

Books,  25,  61,  66,  69,  85,  92,  156, 
158,  217,  289,  295,  et  seq.j  some 
authors  in  Virginia  libraries, 
Addison,  239,  299,  300,  301,  302, 
303,  304,  307;  ^sop,  297;  Ari- 
osto,  301 ;  Bacon,  298,  300,  302, 
303,  304,  307;  Boccacio,  302; 
Bolingbroke,  303;  Bunyan,  115, 
300,  307;  Burnet,  301,  302,  304; 
Burton,  300;  Butler,  301,  303; 
Cervantes,  301 ;  Chaucer,  302, 
304;  Chillingworth,  302;  Cicero, 
297;  Clarendon,  49,  300,  303, 
304;  Congreve,  242,  303,  304; 
Cowley,  302,  303,  304;  Dave- 
nant,  301;  Defoe,  303,  307; 
Donne,  297,  304;  Drayton,  302; 
Dryden,  303,  304,  305,  312; 
Fielding,  300,  307;  Fuller,  301, 
303;  Gay,  302,  304,  307;  Gua- 
rini,    301;    Herbert,    301,    303; 


Hobbcs,  301;  Houkt,  303;  Hor- 
ace, 298;  Huuie,  304;  Johnson, 
222,  223,  303,  307;  Jonson,  61 
297,  301,  303;  Josephus,  206 
307;  Junius,  319;  Juvenal,  298 
LeSage,  307;  Locke,  300,  302 
304;  Milton,  301,  302,  303,  304 
307;  Moliere,  304;  Montaigne 
297,  301,  304;  More,  302,  304 
Ovid,  295,  297;  Perseus,  298 
Pope,  300,  301,  302,  303,  304 
Pryor,  303,  304;  Purchas,  297 
Quarles,  301;  Richardson,  299 
Robertson,  304;  Sandys,  295 
297;  Shaftsbury,  302,  304 
Shakespeare,  32,  77,  115,  234 
237,  241,  245,  299,  302,  303 
304,  307 ;  Sidney,  304 ;  Smollett 
303,  304,  307;  Somerville,  304 
Steele,  301,  302,  303,  307 
Sterne,  135,  304,  307;  Suckling 
303;  Swift,  301,  303,  304,  307 
Taylor,  301,  302,  303;  Temple 
302;  Thompson,  304;  Tillotson 
302;  Virgil,  297,  298,  303;  Van- 
brugh,  304;  Waller,  299,  301, 
302,  303,  304;  Wycherley,  304 

Bookstores,  306,  307 

Booth,  50;  Mordecai,  254 

Boots,  Lord  Fairfax's,  258 

Bosher,  John,   197 

Boston,   Mass.,   47 

Botetourt,  Lord,  201 

Boucher,   Daniel,   332 ;   Jonathan, 
273 

Bouldin,  Thomas,  45 

Boush,  John,  44;  Maximilian,  215 

Bowler,  Samuel,  133 

Bowling,  38 

Bowling  greens,  68,  71 

Boyers,  John,   149 

Boyle,  John,   Lord,  221 


356 


INDEX 


Boyse,  John,  45;  Luke,  45 

Bradshaw,  John,  148 

Braffcrton  building,  285 

Braine,  218 

Branch,  Christopher,  42 

"Brandon,"   17,  72,  73,  254,  314 

Branton,  Eng.,  345 

Brasenosc   College,    Oxford,    293 

Bratton,  Robert,  202 

Braxton,  George,  71 ;  Mrs.  George, 
114,  121,  174,  311 

Bray,    53;    Anne,    107;    Richard, 
107;  Thomas,  210 

Brayne,  Dorothea,  108 

Brent,  51;  George,  345;  William, 
226,  255 

Brereton,  Elizabeth,  134;  Thomas, 
276 

Breshlcy,  Worcestershire,   48 

Brewer,  John,  31 6;  Sackville,  149; 
Thomas,  273 

Brewster,   Richard,    44 

Brice,  Thos.,  171 

Brickenhead,    John,    226 

Bridger,  53;  Joseph,  269 

Bridges,  Charles,  315,  3l6 

Briggs,  Richard,  276 

Bristol,   51,   225 

Britwell,  222 

"  Broad    Neck,"   257 

Brocas,  William,  297 

Brock,    Joseph,    300 

Brockenbrough,  Austin,  228;  Col., 
124 

Brodnax,    190.    191,    289 

Brooke,    Lawrence,    393;    Robert, 
303 

Brown,    Browne,    53 ;    Alexander. 
41.  264,  274;  Charles.  302;  Ed- 
ward,   22,    217;    Francis,    279, 
280;    Mrs.    William,    198 
Bruce.  Philip  A.,  26s,  264, 279, 280 


Brunskill,   John,   29^ 

Brunswick  Church,  117;  County, 
58,  255,  300 

Bruster,  William,  22 

Bruton  Church,  196,  224,  246,  251, 
311,   323,   339;   Parish,   346 

Buchanan,  John,  305 

Bucke,  Rev.  Richard,  35,  295,  305, 
321 

Buckingham,  County,  291  ;  Duke 
of,  46 

Buckner,   John,   300;    Philip,  275 

Bucktrout,  B.,  89,  90 

Bullitt,  Cuthbert,  159 

Bullock,  252;  Thomas,  l62 

Bunn,  Robert,  217 

Burdett,  Thomas.  98 ;  William,  98, 
326 

Burgess,    Robert,    301 

Burkland,  Richard,  280 

Burnaby,  124.  140.  141,  163,  l64 

Burras,  Ann,   27,  28 

Burroughs,     Christopher,     329; 
Mary,  329 

Burrows,  Anthony,  44 ;  John,  44 

Burwell,  63,  126.  221  ;  Abigail,  63, 
347;  Armistead,  149;  Carter, 
64;  Col.,  137;  James,  294; 
Lewis,  63,  170,  256,  269,  292, 
293,  294;  Mrs.  Lewis,  247; 
Lucy,  177;  Martha,  170;  Re- 
becca, 64,  180,  181,  182,  183; 
tombs,  348 

Butler,  Mrs.  Aniory.  82.  84,  209; 
Sarah,  98;  William,  98 

Butt,   Richard,  269 

Byrd.  51.  71,  86,  120,  314;  Eve- 
lyn, 106,  172,  221,  351,  et  seq.; 
Mrs..  108;  Susan,  289.  290;  Ur- 
sula, 289;  Wilhemina,  221  ;  Wil- 
liam, 1st,  216,  217,  289,  297, 
304.  315,  318;  William,  2d,  57, 


S5fl 


INDEX 


58,  66,  71,  107,  108,  114,  ll6, 
117,  120,  126,  142,  171,  218, 
221,  232,  254,  270,  289,  290, 
293,  304,  315,  348;  William,  3d, 
149,  152,  255,  304 

Cabell,  Joseph,  274;  Nicholas, 
174;  William,  174,  274,  303; 
William,  Jr.,  274;  papers,  274 

Cabinetmakers,    89,   90 

Cage,  Edward,  45 

Caius  College,  Cambridge,  290, 292 

Calthorpe,  5 1 ;  Christopher,  42, 
43,  216;  James,  2l6 

Cambridge  University,  288,  290, 
292 

Camden,  301 ;  Parish,  323 

Came,  Robt.,  162 

Camelsforth,  Yorkshire,  226 

Campbell,  246,  247;  Rev.  Archi- 
bald, 52,  293;  Daniel,  143 

Canary  Islands,  32 

Cape    Henry,    320 

Cape  of  Good  Hope,  265 

Caplener,  George,  277 

Capon  Springs,  153 

Cargill,  John,  305 

Carlton,  Yorkshire,  226 

Caroline  Co.,  116,  273,  3l6 

Carr,  Dabney,  274 

Carriages,  121,  129,  et  seq.;  152, 
184 

Carrington,  George,  174 

Carter,  53,  71,  123,  233,  309,  314, 
319,  324,  329;  Benjamin,  282, 
312;  Betty,  114,  133,  204;  Bob, 
133;  Charles,  124, 141,  291,  319, 
333;  Dale,  137;  Elizabeth,  209, 
210;  Elizabeth  Landon,  196; 
Fanny,  133;  George,  293;  Giles, 
148;  Harriet,  282;  James,  332; 


John,  81,  93,  185,  209,  '-^78, 
291,  292,  297;  John,  Jr.,  171; 
Landon,  68,  123,  126,  132,  145, 
149,  173,  255,  270,  291,  311; 
Maria,  281;  Mary,  210;  Molly, 
173,  174;  Nancy,  146;  Priscilla, 
133,  14G;  Robert  ("King"), 
123,  209,  210,  278,  288,  302, 
317,  324,  332,  343,  345;  Robert 
("  Councillor  "),  68,  69,  74,  87, 
88,  90,  129,  132,  145,  204,  282, 
304,  306,  314,  315;  Mrs.  Robert 
("  CounciUor  "),  133,  145,  146; 
Robert,  Jr.,  281 ;  William,  63 
"  Carter's  Creek,"  63,  64,  72,  170, 

180,  255 
"  Carter's  Grove,"  64,  72,  76 
Cary,  51,  71,  175;  Archibald,  64 
Elizabeth,     226;     Mary,     179 
Robert,  218;  Sarah,   132,  299 
Wilson,  132,  292,  299,  324 

"Castle  Hill,   173 

Catesby,   Mark,  217 

Catlett,  John,  289 

Causey,  Nathaniel,  44 

Cavaliers,  49,  50,  190 

"Ceelys,"  71 

Census  of  1624-25,  42,  et  seq. 

Chalkley,  Lyman,  125,  154 

Chamberlayne,  51;  David,  176; 
Francis,  45;  Thomas,  253;  Wil- 
liam, 347 

Champe,  Anne,  319;  John,  319 

Chaplaine,  Isaac,  45 

Chapman,   Richard,    127 

Charles  I,  189;  H,  188,  190,  192 

Charles  City  County,  159,  255, 
266,  335 

Charles   Parish,   336 

Charlton,  19L  242,  243;  Mrs. 
George,  198;  Stephen,  118 

Chastellux,  71 
367 


INDEX 


Chalii.un,  256;  Earl  of,  3iy 

"  Chellowe,"   291 

"  Chelsea,"   66 

Cherokee,   138 

"  Cherry  Point,"  227 

Cherry  Point  Neck,  333 

Chesapeake  Bay,  25,  26,  32 

Chesley,  Philip,  227 

Chesterfield  Co.,  226,  227,  300, 
303,  336 

Chew,    179;   John,   42 

Chichester,  51;  John,  226;  Rich- 
ard, 184,  226,  302 

Chichley,  50;  Sir  Henry,  50,  1 19 

Children,  103,  104,  106,  110,  et 
seq.;  203,  et  seq. 

Chilham,  347;  castle,  32 

China,  QS,  94,  et  seq. 

Chippendale,  90;  chair,  84 

Chisman,  53;  John,  42,  44 

Chiswell's  Ordinary,  148 

Christ  Church,  Alexandria,  323; 
Lancaster,  323;  Middlesex,  269, 
326,  330,  332 

Christ's  College,  Cambridge,  292 ; 
Oxford,  293 

Christian,  144,  145,  193;  Priscilla, 
154 

Church  bells,  36,  324 

Church,  Established,  305,  320; 
"  on-the-Fork,"  274 

Churches,  24,  GO,  62,  320,  et  seq.; 
at  Jamestown,  321,  322;  fres- 
coes in,  325 ;  penance  in,  329, 
330 

Churchill,  53,  122,  276;  Mrs. 
Armistead,  122;  Mrs.  Elizabeth, 
100,  276;  Henry,  303;  William, 
81,  123,  255,  817;  Mrs.  William, 
123 

City  Point,  40 

Clack.  vStcrlinjr,  .SOO 


Claiborne,  William,  44 

Clark,  Clarke,  Humphrey,  276; 
John ;  Robert,  305 

Classical  schools,  274 

Clay,  John,  274 

Clayton,  319;  Isabella,  350;  John, 
217;  Thomas,  293,  350 

"  Cleburne,"    Westmoreland,    44 

"Cleve,"  120,  141,  281,  292,  319, 
333 

"  Clifford  Chambers,"  72 

Clifton,   51 

Clinton,  John,  2l6 

Clocks,  90,  91 

Coaches,  121,  130,  et  seq. 

Coar,   Mary,   280 

Coats-of-arms,  l6,  17,  44,  85,  86, 
98,  100,  134,  et  seq.,  204,  207, 
288,  289,  290,  815,  317,  326, 
345,    346,    349,    350,    351 

"  Cobbs,"  134 

Cock-fighting,  137,260 

Cocke,  61,  137;  John,  298;  Lucy, 
177;  Thomas,  188,  253; 
Thomas,  Jr.,   148 

Coke,  51,    180 

Cole.  Richard,  345 

"  Coldbrooke,"  220 

College,  at  Henrico,  40,  265,  266; 
William  and  Mary,  70,  141,  143, 
1(59.  180,  201,  213,  230,  232, 
233,  263,  264,  283,  et  seq.,  305, 
311,  313,  319 

Colleges,  Northern,  263 

Colonists,  Character  of  the  first, 
16;  English  ancestry  of,  42,  et 
seq.;  sufferings  of  first.  20,  et 
seq. 

Comedians.  The  American  Com- 
pany of,  247,  248,  249 

Comnnmion,  first  at  Jamestown, 
320 ;  services,  826,  330,  832,  833 


358 


INDEX 


Constant  Endeavor-,  ship,  214 

Conway,  137;  Edwin,  iJii;  Mon- 
cnre  D.,  88;  Peter,  255,  256 

Cooke,  John  Esten,  231 

Cook,  Patrick,  92 

Cooper,   218 

Copeland,  265 

Cople  Parish,  333 

Copley,  246 

Cornocke,  Lymon,  225 

Corbin,  147,  282,  288,  290;  Alice, 
177,  181 ;  Gawin,  277,  292,  293, 
317;  Henry,  52;  Martha,  277; 
Thomas,  317 

"  Corotoman,"  209,  278,  297,  324 

Cotton,  Rev.  William,  343 

Courtship  and  Marriage,  l66,  et 
seq. 

Coverley,  Sir  Roger  de,  141,   146 

Cox,  William,  274 

Craig,  James,  157 

Crashaw,   Raleigh,  44 

Crawley,  Robert,  269 

Crease,  Thomas,  70 

Crew,  Randall,  47 

Crispe,    Thomas,   44 

Criswell,  137,  272,  273 

Crow,   154 

Crowder,   Hugh,  44 

Croyden,  Kent,  Eng.,  290 

Culpeper,  Lord,  220;  Margaret, 
Lady,  220 

Cumberland,  County,  255,  301, 
318;  Duke  of,  149 

Cunningham,  Samuel,  92 

Currie,   David.   344 

Curtis,  Thomas,  48 

Custis,  Daniel  Parke,  211,  303; 
Frances,  109,  HI;  John,  107, 
109,  346,  347;  John  Parke,  200, 
204;  Martha,  180,  204,  212, 
215;  Martha  Parke,  153,  200, 
205 


Dade,  Cadwalladcr,  277 
Daggett,   Rev.   Benjamin,  305 
Daingerfield,  William,  129,  278 
Dale,  Sir,  Thomas,  38,  39,  40,  48, 

96,  166,  167;  Lady,  332 
Dale  Parish,  337 
Dalston  School,  Eng.,  294 
Daly,  239 
Dancing,    69,    137,    140,    et    seq., 

151,    181,    182,    193,    196,   230, 

231,   235,   236,   241,   242,   243, 

258,  260,  313 
"  Dancing  Point,"  159 
Dandridge,   Martha,   211;   Unity, 

351;  William,  351 
Darby,  William,  229 
Davies,  Miss,  312;  Samuel,  339 
Davis,  James,  44,  45 
Davison,  Christopher,  44,  80 
Dawley,  Thomas,  271 
Dawson,  Priscilla,  196,  246,  247; 

Thomas,  196,  334;  William,  305, 

337 
Deans,  James,  227 
Dearlove,  Wm.,  148 
Delaware,   Lord,   17,   32,    35,   36, 

37,  43,  50,  80,  96,  188 
Delft,  92 

Denham,   Richard,   1 59 
Derbyshire,   226 
Dering,    William,    143 
De  Vreis,  69,  118 
Dewall,  Edward,  225 
Dial,   Edward,   143 
Digges,  32,  49,  51 ;  Cole,  269;  Sir 

Dudley,  347;  Edward,  82,  107, 

210,    316,    347;    Elizabeth,    74, 

78,  107;  Mary,  144 
Dilke,  Clement,  44;  Roger,  46 
Dinwiddie,  Robert,  121,  221,  237, 

238,  239 
Discovery,  ship,  19 
Diseases,  20,  et  seq.,  26,  37,  41 


359 


INDEX 


Divorces,  110 

Dixon,  273,  306;  Adam,  45 

Dobby,  261 

Donne,  George,  50;  Dr.  John,  50 

Dormer,  Sir  Fleetwood,  50 

Douglas,  51,  219;  David,  24 1 

Downing  Street,  222 

Downnian,  John,  45 ;  Joseph  Ball, 

293;  Margaret,  207;   Rawlegh, 

309;   William,   309;   Dowthaitt, 

243,  244 
Draper,  Elizabeth,  208 
Drayton,  John,  162;  Mailana,  301 
Dress,    117,    155,    157,    158,    186, 

et  seq.,  215,  258 
Drinking,    126,  et  seq.,    146,    151, 

258,  259,  261,  330,  334,  335 
Duelling,  158,  et  seq. 
Duke,  53 

"  Dunham  Massie,"  50 
Dunlop,  John,  300;  William,  185, 

305 
Dutch  Gap,  39 
Du  Val,  Samuel,  255 

Earle,  Alice  Morse,  197 

East  Barsham,  216 

East  India  School,  265,  287 

Eastern  Shore,  63,   118,  229,  230 

Eaton  Free  School,  267 

Eaton,  Thomas,   267 

Edinburgh,  219,  221,  278;  Uni- 
versity, 291,  293 

Edloe.  Matthew.  12 

Edmundsoii,    Dolly,   26 1 

Education,  165.  219,  221,  222, 
262,  et  seq.;  bequests  for,  266, 
267,  268,  269,  270;  abroad,  287, 
et  seq.;  of  servants,  263,  273 

Edwards,    John,    328 

Eton  College,   288,  294 

Elam,  Martin,  148 


"  Elderslie,"   183 

Electric  Machine,  162 

Elizabeth  City  Co.,  226,  266,  267,        ' 

272,  300,  318,  321,  324 
Elizabeth,  Queen,  51 
Elizabeth  River  Parish,  329 
Ellyson,  Sarah,  185 
"  Eltham,"  64,   351 
Enibrey,  Henry,  58 
Emerson,  45 
Emigrants,  the  later,  character  of, 

41,  f<  seq. 
England,  105,  107,  111,  115,  126, 

135,  136,  141 
English,  cottage,   26;   farmhouse, 

26;  village,  26 
English,  William,   44 
Epitaphs,  209,  227,  290,  345,  et 

seq. 
Eppes,  53;  Elizabeth,  209;  Fran- 
cis, 45,   73,   85,    100,    156,    188; 

Mrs.  Frances,  341 ;  William,  45, 

159 
Essex  Co.,  211,  280,  300,  303 
Evans,    William,    254;    Valentine, 

272 
Evelyn,  51,  302 
Eversham  Parish,  l60 

Fairfax.  315;  Bryan,  114,  259; 
George  William,  88,  178,  248; 
Lord,  32,  42,  50,  178,  220,  260; 
Robert.  246;  Sally,  113;  Wil- 
liam. 50.   114;  county,  303,  318 

"  Fairfields,"   182 

Fairs,  153,  154,  236 

Falkland,  Lord,  51 

Falling  Creek,  40,  l60 

Farley,  James  Parke,  255;  Thom- 
as,  43,   328 

Farnham  Parish,  335,  336 

Farnifold,  John.  326 


360 


INDEX 


Farrar,  53;  William,  -12,  134,  lG8 
Farrell,    243,    244 
Fauntleroy,  118;  Betsy,  179;  Grif- 
fin, 331;   Colonel,   123;   Moore, 
255;  William,   179,  293 
Fauquier   County,    183,   303 
Fawcett,     Fawsett,     John,     229; 

Thomas.  l60 
Fearon,  Benson,  299 
Felgate,  Tobias,  45 
Felton,  311 
Fencing,   143 
Festivities,   136,  et  seq. 
Fetherstone,  26;  Charles,  328 
Field,  John,  293 
Fielding,  Ambrose,   84 
Filmer,  51;  arms,  134 
Finch,  Henry,  50;  Sir  John,  50 
Finnic,    234;    Alexander,    143 
Fireworks,  247 

Fisher,  Daniel,  151;  George,  148 
Fishing,  259 

Fithian,   Philip,   68,   69,  71,   HI, 
128,    129,    132,    133,    136,    137, 
141,    144,    146,    147,    191,   193, 
261,   273,   279,   282,   306,   309, 
312,  328 
Fitzhugh.   67,    124;    Henry,   293, 
302;  William,  73,  100,  104,  125, 
130,    172,  218,   254,   256,   271, 
297,   317 
FitzRandolph,  John.  214 
Fleming,    John,    255;    Mrs.,    66; 

William,  182 
Flinton,   Pharoah,  44 
Flood,   John,  42 
Florde,  Edward,  110 
Flournoy,  David,  92 
Flowre,  George,  22 
Fluvanna,  Co.,   184 
Foliatt,  52 


Fontaine,    John,    81,    127;    Peter, 

275 
Food,  57,  58,  124,  et  seq. 
Foot-racing,  258 
Ford,  Paul  Leicester,  246 
Forrest,  Mrs.,  27,  28 
Fort,  a  palisaded,  l6 
"  Four  Mile  Tree,"  347 
Foushee,  Capt.,  122;  Mrs.,  122 
Fowler,  Francis,  48 
Fox,   David,   99,    159,    3l6,   326; 
Hannah,  98;  Richard,  118;  Wil- 
liam,   200,    325;    hunting,    259, 
260 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  312 
Frasier,  Alexander,  269;  Thomas, 

176 
Frederickburg,  102,  154,  198,  236, 

246;  jockey  club  of,   256 
Frescoes,  325 

Funeral  Customs,  341,  et  seq. 
Furniture,  77,  et  seq. 
Furs  and  skins,  158 

Gage,  50 

Gaines,  Daniel,  108;  Eliza,  108 

Gait,  James,  91 ;  John  M.,  293 

Galthorpe,  Stephen,  22 

Gamble,  William,  191 

Games,   113,   114,   115,   145,   149, 

153,    328 
Gaming,  148,  et  seq. 
Gardens,  69,  et  seq. 
Garrick,   219 
Gascoine,  Thomas,  42 
Gates,    Sir   Thomas,    32,    35,    38, 

96;  Lady,  38 
Geddy,  Anne,   177 
"Gentlemen,"   l6  et  seq.,  44,   50, 

et  seq. 
George  I,  136 
George,  Leroy,  211 


361 


INDEX 


Gerard,  Gerrard,  147;  Thomas, 
225 

Germanna,  71,   108 

Germans,    144,   277,   339,   340 

Gibson,  Edward,  160;  James,  254; 
Thomas,  78 

Gilmer,  George,  293 

Glascock,  Capt.,  110;  George, 
188 

Glass-making,  40 

Gloucester  Co.,  63,  65,  121,  173, 
176,  227,  254,  256,  260,  268, 
271,  285,  288,  315,  324,  327, 
348;   England   225,   227 

Glover,  Richard,  280 

Gloves,  200 

Godfrey,    William,    191 

Godspeed,  ship,  19 

Godwin,  242,  243;  Samuel,  104 

Gooch,  Lady,  196;  Sir  William, 
196,  337 

Goochland  Co.,  151,  276 

Goode,  Robert,  255 

Goodmansfield  Theatre,  London, 
236 

Goodwin,  Joseph,  269,  293 

Gookin,  Daniel,  42;  John,  208, 
209 

Goore,  Charles,  216 

Gordon,  Adam,  Lord,  109,  119, 
131,  164,  287;  James,  110,  122, 
137,  184,  215,  273;  Mrs.  James, 
184,  273;  Molly,  273;  Nancy, 
184;  William,  269,  317,  332 

Goring,  Cliarles,  272 

Gosnold,  Bartholomew,   17,  22 

Governesses,  281 

Gowcr,   .SOI  ;  Tliomas,  22 

GrafFenrcidt,  Baronnc  do,  142; 
Christopher  de,  142 

Graham,  51  ;  Augustus,  257 


Graves,  Richard,  152;  Thomas,  43 

Gravesend,  98 

Gray's  Inn,  294 

Great  Hornmeadc,  Hertfordshire, 

43 
Green,  Katherinc.  101 
Greenhill,  James,  162 
"  Greenspring,"  95,  126,  130,  303 
Gregory,  Roger,  255 
Griffin,  Corbin,   188,  293;  Cyrus, 

293;   John,  293;  Samuel,  218, 

219,223 
Griggs,  Robert,  332 
Grimshaw,  Aaron,  294 
Grindon,  Edward,  44 
Grymes,     289;     Benjamin,     253; 

Fanny,    185;   John,   210;   John 

Randolph.  228,  294;  Lucy,  179; 

Philip,  344;  Philip,  children  of, 

frontispiece;     Philip     Ludwell, 

294 
Gypsy,  330 

Hacker,  Henry,  318 

Hacket,  Thomas,  159 

Hail  Western,  Huntingdonshire, 
227 

Halifax   County,    270 

Hall,  193;  Isaac,  219,  293;  Jacob, 
304;  John.  93,  2l6 

Hallam,  244,  245,  250,  251 ;  Lewis, 
138,  236,  237,  239,  242,  246, 
249;  Mrs.,  237,  239,  240;  Rob- 
ert, 47;  Sarah,  244;  Thomas, 
47 ;  William,  47 

"  Hallsfield,"  255 

Hamilton,  James,  91 

Hammond,  John,  96;  Mainwaring, 
119 

Hamor,  Ralph,  43,  45;  Thomas,  45 

Hampshire,  Eng.,  46,  227 


S62 


INDEX 


Hampton,    30,    60,    71,    140,    151, 

175,   239,  SIS,   323,  324,   326; 

Academy,  267;  Roads,  175 
Hanbury,   214 
Handel,   311,   312 
Hanover   County,    148,   254,    255, 

257,  259,  313;  town,  313 
Hansford,  John,  280,  269 
Hardyman,  Littlebury,   255,  256; 

William,    255 
Harmer,  Charles,  44,  225;  John, 

44,  225 
Harrington,  17;  Edward,  22 
Harris,  Thomas,  42 
Harrison,  17,  72,  181;  Benjamin, 

107,  132,  169,  351;  George,  159; 

Henry,     255;     Nathaniel,     254, 

302;  Mrs.  Randolph,  250,  251; 

Sarah,   l69 
Harvey,  Sir  John,  59,  322 
Harvie,   John,   303 
Harwood,  Nicholas,  343;  Thomas, 

44,  269;  William,  269 
Harrow,   Eng.,    294 
narrower,  John,  129,  278 
Hatcher,   Edward,   253 
Hatherly,  Eng.,  226 
Hawes,   Leicestershire,   44 
Hawkins,  Thomas,  48 
Hawtry,  Edward,  201 
Haynes,   Bartholomew,   329,   330 
Hayward,  Matthew,   109 
Head-dress,    187,    188,    190,    192, 

193,  194,  199,  204 
Hedgman,   George,   300 
Hendall,    185 
Henly,  Samuel,  319 
Henrico  County,  73,  85,  100,  134, 

139,    148,    155,    185,   253,   265, 

271,   289,   291,   298,   300,   301, 

321,  326,  328;  town,  39 
Henry,  Patrick,  303,  308 


Herbert,  339 

Herefordshire,  348 

"  Hesse,"  121,  171,   173,   174 

Hesselius,  315,  317,  319 

Hewit,  269 

"  Hickory  Hill,"  282 

Hill,  53;  Edward,  138;  Mrs.  Ed- 
ward, 209;  Elizabeth,  209;  Hen- 
riette  Maria,  209;  Humphrey, 
270;  John,  48;  Nathaniel,  271, 
296;  Sara,  209 

Hitchcock,   Killibett,   44 

Hite,   67 

Hobb's   Hole,   236,   26l 

Hogarth,    318 

Hog,  Elizabeth,  154;  Peter,  291; 
Island,    47 

Holland,  70 

Hollingsworth,  67 

Holloway,   John,   296;   Mrs.,    112 

Holt,  Joseph,  292 ;  Randall,  47 

Home,  Hume,  George,  217 

Home-life,    102,   et  seq. 

Honeywood,  Philip,  119 

Hooe,  Rice,  46 

Hooker,  301 

Home,    Henry,   45 

Horner,   Havaliah,   271 

Horse-racing,  252,  et  seq. 

Horses,   129,   et  seq. 

Horsmanden,  Daniel,  217;  War- 
ham,  289 

Hospitality,  57,  et  seq.,  118,  et  seq. 

Hothcrsall,  44 

Hot  Springs,   152,   153 

Houses,  55,  et  seq.,  of  first  colon- 
ists, 20,  21,  23 

Howard,  Philip,  229 

Howe,  Elizabeth,  209;  John,  44 

Howson,  Ixionard,  134 

Hubard,  81  ;  Matthew,  61,  90,  276, 
297 
368 


INDEX 


Hubbard,  Ephraiin,  144 

Hubert,    Cuthbert,   269 

Hughes,  James,  341 

Hull,  Eng.,  226 

Hume,   51 

Hungar's  Parish,  346 

Hunt,  122;  Fortune,  344;  Rev. 
Robert,  20,  28,  295,  305;  Row- 
land, 89;  Thomas,  89 

Hunter,  307;  John,  87;  William, 
319 

Hunting,  259 

Huntingdonshire,  227 

Hylton,  Bethenia,  184;  George, 
184 


189,  255,  262,  290,  295.  315, 
320,  321,  322,  346;  church,  36, 
60,  80,  96,  167,  305;  River,  19, 
32,  35,  72,  125,  209,  206,  320 

Jaqueline,  315 

JcfTerson,  Peter,  151  ;  Thomas,  64, 
65,  66,  78,  135,  151,  177,  181, 
182,  183,  274,  299,  304,  308 

Jenings,  51 ;  Edmund,  226 

Jerdone,  Francis,  133 

Jewelry,  157,  188,  190,  19*,  206. 
et  seq. 

Jockey  Club,  255 

Johnson,  John,  45,  280;  Joseph, 
109;  George,  303,  318 


Johnston,  Mary,  231 
Indian,     Fields,     255;     massacre      Jones,   Anthony,   48;   Dolly,    111, 
(1622),  40  112;   Francis,    117;   Giles,   44; 

Indians,  15,  19,  20,  22,  23,  24,  26,  Hugh,  119,  124,  125,  254.  285; 


28,  29,  30,  34,  39,  43,  92,  116, 
125,  136,  139,  156,  216,  236, 
239,  275,  285,  321,  331,  340 

Inglebird,    George,    92 

Inglis,  Mungo,  284 

Inner  Temple,  293 

Ireland,  92,  98 

Iron  Works,   40 

Isham,  51;  Henry,  155;  Katha- 
rine, 99;  seal,   134 

Isle  of  Wight  County,  46,  47,  78, 
81,  99,  106,  209,  227,  269,  296, 
316,  322,  332,  344 

"  Isabinda,"  232 

Jacob,  Thomas,  22 
James  I,  King,  264;  II,  192 
James  City  County,  48,  210 
Jamestown,  18,  19,  20,  24,  25,  26, 
27,  32,  33,  35,  36,  37,  38,  39. 
60,  61,  63,  69.  75,  76,  79.  80, 
91,  95,  102,  105,  125,  150,  153, 
155,    160,   161,    166.    170,   186, 


Orlando,  77;  Robert,  280;  Rog- 
er, 220;  Thomas,  84,  111,  121, 
195,  233,  218,  219,  220,  279, 
318;  Mrs.  Thomas,  196,  215, 
217;  Thomas,  Jr.,  111.  112; 
Walter,  291 

Jordan,  Alice,  347;  Cicely,  l68. 
171,  335;  George,  344,  347; 
Samuel,  l68;  Thomas,  48,  309 

"Jordan's  Point,"  l68 

Kean,  Edmund,  234;  Thomas,  234, 
235,  and  Murray  Company,  234, 
242 

Kecoughtan.   30 

Kellam,  Richard,  280 

Kelley,   248 

Kello!  John,  140 

Kemp,  Kempe,  50;  Richard,  190; 
William,  44 

Kiinirdy.  Alexander,  324 

Kennon.  William,  300 

Kent.   F.ng..   44 


364 


INDEX 


Kercheval,  92,  117,  lii 

Kerr,  Alexander,  211 

Key,  William,  S05 

Kidd,  James,  74< 

Killearn,   51 

Kilpin,  William,  300 

King  and  Queen  County,  111,  270, 

305,  324,  344. 
King  George  County,  67,  71,  94, 

141,    183,   254,   281,   292,   318, 

319,  333 
King,  Henry,  268 
King's  College,  Aberdeen,  159,  294 
Kingsmill,  Richard,  44 
Kingston,    Thomas,    46;    Thomas, 

271 
King    William    County,    66,    177, 

269,  336;  Court  House,  313 
Kinked,  David,  101 
"  Kippax,"  110 
Kirk,  James,  202 
Kneller,  Godfrey,  31 6,  319 
Knight,  Charles,  275 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe, 

91 

Lace,  188,  195,  196;  Brussels, 
200;  Flanders,  200;  Mechlin, 
195 

Lancaster  County,  81,  83,  90,  94, 
99,  122,  132,  200,  226,  255, 
272,  297,  302,  305,  3l6,  317, 
325,  332,  344 

Lanckfield,  John,  97 

Langford,  John,  313 

Langley,  Robert,  45 

Languedoc,  44 

Latane,  Lewis,  305 

Latham,  John,  92 

Lawrence,   John,   225 

Lawson,  Thomas,  301 

Lawyers,   l60 
24 


Laydon,  John,  28;  Virginia,  28 
Layton,  Goody,   105,   106 
Leatherbury,   Charles,  280 

Lee,  53,  66,  145,  147,  268,  290, 
314;  Arthur,  222,  293,  294; 
Betsy,  194;  George,  79,  135, 
215;  George  Fairfax,  292,  299; 
Hancock,  300,  326;  Henry,  86, 
90,  152,  179,  293,  308;  John, 
200,  288,  293;  Launcelot,  135; 
Philip,  124;  Philip  Ludwell, 
255,  293,  309;  Richard,  98,  11 6, 
135,  146,  255,  301,  317,  351; 
Mrs.  Richard,  122;  Robert  E., 
209;  Thomas,  100,  276,  342, 
343;  arms,  138;  Parish,  326 

"Lee  Hall,"  145,  146 

Leeds,  Castle,  32,  220;  School, 
294;  Virginia,  151 

Lely,  Peter,  3l6 

Levingston,  William,  230,   231 

Lewis,  65,  260;  Elizabeth,  348; 
Fielding,  153;  Thomas,  305; 
Warner,  173,  174,  315 

Lightfoot,  Armistead,  255  ;  Charles, 
226;  Frances,  226;  John,  48; 
Mildred,  207;  Philip,  132,  326; 
W^illiam,  207,  211,  254 

Ligon,  Richard,  253 

Linna'us,  l6l 

Liquors,  etc.,  legal  price  of,   150 

Little    Paxton,    Huntingdonshire, 

227 

Littleton,  51;  Ann,  276;  Nathan- 
iel, 51,  276 

"Littleton,"  69,  118 

Liverpool,  2l6 

Livingston,  Susannah,  299;  Wil- 
liam, 141 

Lloyd,  Cornelius,  187 

Locket,  Jane,  226 
S65 


INDEX 


London,  17,  42,  43,  44,  48,  51, 
73,  74,  77,  79,  86,  87,  89,  100, 
104,  107,  127,  131,  133,  134, 
140,  149,  154,  155,  161,  190, 
195,  196,  198,  202,  208,  214, 
215,  216,  217,  218,  219,  220, 
223,  226,  227,  230,  232,  236, 
237,  259,  264,  271,  280,  288, 
294,  296.  298,  299,  306,  310, 
312,  317,  318,  325;  Bishop  of, 
270 

Lorraine,  Claude,  318 

Lotteries,  151,  152,  211 

Love,  309 

Lovelace,  Francis,  50 

Love-locks,  189,  190 

Lower  Norfolk  County,  45,  48,  76, 
82,  83,  97,  105,  109,  135,  148, 
162,  187,  192,  193,  195,  198, 
208,  225,  268,  287,  297,  322, 
338 

Ludlow,  51  ;  Thomas,  3l6 

Ludwell,  95;  H.,  207;  Philip,  94, 
95,  220,  303 

Luke,  172 

Lunenburg  County,  78,  81,  303, 
305 ;  Parish,  333 

Lunsford      Henry,      314;      Sir 
Thomas,  46,  50,  119,  314 

Lu))o,  Albino,  44 

Lutheran  Church,  324 

Lylly,    Stephen,    272 

Lynnhaven  Parish,  209,  322,  324 

Machodick,    Churches,    325 
IMaelin,  254 

Madrstard,  Thomas.  31 6 
•Madison.  Isaac,  168;  James,  272; 
Bishop  James,  274;  County,  321 
Mnizdalci}r,  ship,  175 
Mai  lory,   51 
Mnlone,  237,  239 


"  Malvern    Hill,"   6l,    253 
Manchester,   152 
Mangoags,  King  of,  31 
Mann,  John,  285 
Mansfield,   David,   48 
Man,  William,  171 
"  Marlborough."  304 
Marlborough,    Duke  of,   224 
Marlott,   Thomas,   41 

Marmion,"  67 
"  Marplot,"  232 
Marriages,   28,    136 
Martian,   Nicholas,  43 
Martin,  Edward,  229,  230;  Henry, 

328;  John,  17,  43;  Sir  Richard, 

43 
Martine,  John,  22 
Martin's  Hundred,  225 
Marye,  James,  272,  306 
Marj'land,    103,    129,    152,    l60, 

244,  249,  332,  338 
Mason,  Mrs.  Ann,  90;  Francis,  42; 

George,   257,   272,   337;   Mary, 

272;  Thomson,  255 
Matapony  Church,  324 
Matte,    John,    280 
"  Mattey  School."  269 
Mattheson,  Alexander,  200 
Matthew,  Thomas,  227;  William, 

227 
Matthews,  S.amuel,  42,   118,  276; 

Thomas,  299 
Maury,  James,  274 
Mayo,  John,  269 
Meade,  .^90;   David.    \^9\   Bishop 

William.  325,  333 
Menifee,  George,  ()9.  118 
Mt'uzies,  Adam,   318 
Mercer,  George,  223,   224;  John, 

255,  301 
Merchant  Tailor's  School.  287.  294 
"  Mcrrv    Point,"   122,    137,    184 


366 


INDEX 


Metcalfe,  51 

Methodist  Church,  339 

Michel,  Louis  Francis,  136,  154, 
287 

Mickleborough,  Tobias,  211 

Middleham,  Yorkshire,  43 

Middlesex  County,  30,  75,  81,  90, 
94,  107,  111,  134,  150,  161, 
185,  200,  211,  226,  245,  269, 
299,  300,  301,  317,  343 

Middle  Temple,  290,  293 

Midwinter,   Frances,   22 

Mile  End  School,  Eng.,  294 

Mills'  Ordinary,  148 

Milner,  John,  148 

Ministers,  20,  25,  35,  52;  char- 
acter of,  333,  et  seq.;  libraries, 
295,  305,  306;  Presbyterian,  306 

Minor,  Garrett,  328 ;  Thomas,  255, 
256 

Mitchell,  236;  John,  I6I,  207 

Moldsworth,  50 

Moncure,  John,  305,  337 

Monro,  John,  336;  Andrew,  188, 
317 

Montague,  William,  328 

"  Monticello,"   135 

Moon,  John,  46,  227,  268 

Moore,  Bernard,  Q6,  173;  Eliza- 
beth, 172,  173;  John,  106 

Moris,  Edward,  22 

Morris,  Mrs.  Nicholas,  79;  Eoger, 
179 

Morton,  Robert,  192 

Moryson,  50;  Francis,  50,  118; 
Richard,  51;  Robert,   50 

Moseley,  314;  Edward,  207,  324; 
Susanna,    208;    William,    186 

Mosse,  217 

Motherhead,  Samuel,  280 

Mounslic,  Thomas,  22 


"  Mt.  Airy,"  (i5,  72,  74,  88,  132, 
206,  254,   281,  309,  314 

"  Mount  Malady,"  39 

"  Mt.  Pleasant,"  351 

"  Mt.  Vernon,"  68,  70,  74,  87,  88, 
91,  135 

"  Mt.  Zion,"  67,  l62 

Murray,  235;  Nancy,  177 

Muse,  Hudson,  245 

Music,  69,  141,  146,  177,  235,  236, 
241,  242,  243,  258,  308,  et  seq. 

Myles,  John,   347 

McCarty,  Daniel,  98,  254,  290, 
302;   W.    Page,   98 

McClanahan,  Alexander,  203 ;  Jen- 
ny, 207;  John,  341 ;  Robert,  203 

McClurg,  James,  56,  293 

McCulloch,  Roderick,  274 

McDonald,  Bryan,  305;  Edward, 
301 

McRae,  Rev.  Christopher,  52 

McRobert,   Archibald,    336 

"  Nancy  Wilton,"  181 
Nansemond  County,  273,  332,  338 
"  Nanzaticoe,"    124 
Nassawattock's  Church,  330 
Negroes,  215,  281,  329,  339,  344 

(see  also  Servants  and  Slaves) 
Negro  quarters,  64 
Nelson,  Jane,   177;  Thomas,  228, 

292,  304,  351  ;  William,  88,  134, 

205;  William,  Jr.,  185;  County, 

274;  House,  73 
Newburg,  N.  Y.,  212 
"  Newington,"  71,  114,  311 
New  Kent  County,  64,   152,  230, 

255,  260,  303,  319 
"  Newlands,"  104 
Newman,    Robert,    343;    William, 

328 
"Newmarket,"  254 


867 


INDEX 


"  New  Market,"  30i 

Newport,  Christopher,  ly,  24,  25, 

27,   28,   32 
Newport's  News,  39,  118 
Newton,     Elizabeth,     132;     John, 

226,  297,  331 ;  Willoughby,  132, 

299 
New  York,  179,  229,  246 
Nicholls,  George,  81,  84,  86 
Nicholas,  Elizabeth,  210;  George, 

210;  Robert  Carter,  179 
Nicholson,  Sir  Francis,  170,  225, 

257,  283,  285,  336 
Nicola,   306 
"  Nomini    Hall,"    68,   71,   73,    87, 

111,    128,    129,    132,    133,    136, 

141,    144,    146,    147,    191,    193, 

273,    279,    282,   304,    306,    309, 

312,  315 
Nomini  River,  327 
Norfolk,  90,   143,  240,  241,  318, 

323;  County,  75,  207 
Northampton  County,  79,   81,  98, 

103,    109,    225,    281,    296,    302, 

326,    330,    346 
Northamptonshire,   348 
North  Carolina,  117,  142,  l63 
North  Mountain,  153 
Northern  Neck,  85 
Northumberland    County,    47,    78, 

81,  85,  134,  189,  227,  279,  300, 

318,  326,  333,  342;  Earl  of,  17 
"  Northumberland   House,"  255 
Norton,  John,  205 
Norwood,  Henry,   118,   IIP 

Offley,  43 

Ogle,  Cuthbert.   311 

"  Okewell  Hall."  36 

Oldfield,  Anne.  232 

Old  Stone  Cluireh,  Augusta,  310 

Old   Street.    London,    220 


Opecaneanough,   29 

Orange  County,  318 

Organs,   324 

Oriel  College,  Oxford,  288,  293  i 

Orkney  Islands,  278  ', 

Orrery,  Earl  of,  171,  221 

Osborne,    244;    Sir    Edward,    43;       ', 
Mrs.,  240,  241,  242,  243 ;  Thom- 
as, 42,  45,  298 

Outdoor  Sports,  252,  et  seq. 

Owen,  Gronow,  334 

Oxford,  43,  48,  225,  285,  288,  293, 
337 

Paeke,   James,    121 

Page,  173,  314;  Betsy,  177;  Fran- 
cis, 106;  John,  64,  65,  180,  181, 
182,  192,  227;  Judith,  351; 
Mann,  65,  106,  255,  293,  294, 
351;  Robert,  257 

Pagett,  Anthony,  48 

Palatinates,  142 

Pamunkey,    29;   King  of,    186 

Panton,  Anthony,  I90 

Parke,  53;  Daniel,  111,  222,  224; 
Frances,  111,  347;  Lucy,  IO6 

Parker,   63,   242,  243,   244 

"  Parker  Place,"  63 

Parks.  William,  306 

Parnell,  Thomas,   276 

Passmore,  Thomas,  46 

Pasteur,  Dr.,   163 

Pasture,  Charles,  300 

Pate,  Richard,  269 

Pawlett.  Thomas,  43,  335 

Payne,   William,   113 

Peaeliy,  Sanuiel,  135 

Peale,  Charles  Wilson,  244,  315, 
319 

Peasley.  Henry,  268 

"  Peckatone,"  277,  282 

Peddlers.  1  58 


SOS 


INDEX 


Pclham,   Peter,   24,6,  311,  312 

Pembroke  College,  Cambridge,  293 

Penance  in  Church,  229,  330 

Pennington,   17;   Robert,  22 

Pennsylvania,   152 

Percy,  George,  17,  19,  21,  22,  27, 
33,  38,  50,  188 

Perrin,  John,  225;  Susan,  225 

Perrott,  Henry,  294. 

Perry  Elizabeth,  215;  William,  44, 

Persey,  49;  Abraham,  42,  45,  46, 
47,  208;  Elizabeth,  208;  Mary, 
208 

Petersburg,  181,  102 

Petsworth  Church,  324,  325,  326 

Pettus,  53 

Pewter,  93,  et  seq. 

Peyronny,  Chevalier  de,  143 

Peyton,   50;  Valentine,   293 

Philadelphia,  148,  179,  180,  250, 
306,  312,  318 

Philipse,  Mary,  179,  180 

Phillips,  Elmer,  44;  Nathaniel, 
131,  259;  William,  300 

Physicians,  20,  37,  160,  et  seq., 
219,  222,  291 

Pictures,  83,  85,  88,  151,  314,  et 
seq. 

Pierce,  William,  45 

Piggase,  Drue,  22 

Pitt.  Mary,  209;  Thomas,  209 

Pittsylvania    County,    323 

Plantagenet,   Beauchamp,    118 

Plate,  96,  et  seq.,  226 

Plays  acted  in  Virginia:  Anato- 
mist, or  the  Sham  Doctor,  237, 
244;  Beare  and  ye  Cubb,  229; 
Beaux  Strategem,  232;  Beg- 
gar's Opera,  244;  Busy  Body, 
232;  Cato,  232,  233,  239,  248; 
Constant  Couple,  235,  242,  243 ; 
Cymbeline,     244;    Damon    and 


Phillida,  247;  Drummer,  or  the 
Haunted  House,  233;  Every 
Man  in  his  Humor,  247;  False 
Delicacy,  218;  Jealous  Wife, 
247;  King  Lear,  217;  Lying 
Valet,  236;  Merchant  of  Ven- 
ice, 236,  237,  238;  Miller  of 
Mansfield,  213;  Musical  Lady, 
217;  Orphan,  212 ;  Othello,  238, 
239;  Padlock,  217;  Provoked 
Husband,  219;  Richard  III, 
234,  235;  Recruiting  Officer, 
232;  Thomas  and  Sally,  219; 
West  Indian,  217;  Word  to  the 
Wise,   248 

Pleasants,    John,    301,    318 

Plutarch,  307 

Pocahontas,  5,  24,  29,  39,  62,  166, 
168,  188 

Poindexter,  George  B.,  255 

Point  Comfort,  31,  39 

Pole,  Godfrey,  302 

Poole,   Robert,  44 

Pooley,  Rev.  Greville,  l68,  171, 
335 

Poor,  gifts  and  bequests  to,  332,  et 
seq. 

Pope,  Nathaniel,  280;  Thomas, 
225 

"  Pope's  Creek,"  254 

Porter,  James,   297 

Porteus,  Robert,  227 

Porticoes,  67,  68 

Portraits,  85,  190,  193,  194.  206, 
211,  223,  225,  287,  311,  et  seq; 
315,  317,  319 

Port  Royal,  69,  274 

Pory,  John,  97 

Potomac  River,  25.  65 

Pott,  Elizabeth.  105;  Dr.  John, 
42,  46,  105,  160 

Potter,  181 


369 


INDEX 


Powell,  John,  45,  46 

Powhatan,  24,  29,  39,  l66 

Pratt,  Bessy,  111,  112,  233;  Eliza- 
beth, 218;  John,  218;  Keith, 
112;  Mrs.,  121 

Presbyterian  Church,  339,  240 

Presbyterians,  145,   194,  226,  306 

Presley,  Peter,  81;  William,  197 

Price,  281 

Prince  George  County,  255,  304 

Princess  Anne  County,  272,  298, 
301 

Princeton,  263,  278 

Pritchard,  Frances,  268;  Richard, 
268 

Proctor,  John,  42,  43,  116;  Thom- 
as, 43 

Punch  bowl,  Washington's,  132 

Purcfoy,   Thomas,   42 

Puritans,   126,   190,  336 

Purleigh,  Eng.,  287 

Putney  Grammar  School,  300,  294 

Pygatt,   148 

Quaker  meeting  house,  339 
Quakers.   126,  268,  338,  339 
Quantico   Church,    159 
Queen's  College,  Oxford,  288,  293 
Queen's  Creek,  227 

Racing,  153,  252,  et  seq. 

Raleigh,  299;  parish,  333;  tavern, 
151,  182,  191,  234;  Sir  Walter, 
151 

Randolph,  66,  67,  314;  Anne,  181  ; 
Beverley,  294:  John,  228,  291, 
293;  Sir  John,  120,  142,  232, 
294;  Henry,  298;  Mary,  132, 
210;  Peyton,  293;  Thomas 
Mann,  255;  Mrs.  Thomas  Mann, 
66\  William,  132,  151,  210,  294, 
348 

Raphael,  319 


Rappahannock,  County,  82,  171, 
279,  287;  River,  65,  69,  214, 
261,  323 

Ratcliffe,  26,  27 

Ratliall,  Katherine,  198,  201,  202, 
244 

Rathbone,  Richard,  148 

Ravenscroft,   John,   293 

Rawling,  John,  214 

Rawlings,  William,  269 

Reade,  Clement,  78,  81,  303 

Reading,  Eng.,  225 

Reed,  James,  269 

Religion,  26,  36,  320,  et  seq. 

Reynolds,  Sir  Joshua,  315;  Thom- 
as, 277;  William,  280 

Revolution,  249 

Rhode  Island,  90 

Richards,  155;  Amy,  349;  John, 
349 

"  Richland,"  255 

Richmond,  39.  6l,  64,  86,  91,  102, 
116,  162,  223,  319,  320,  322; 
county,  68,  86,  131,  134,  179, 
207,  211,  254,  255,  276,  298, 
309,  333,  335 

Riddell,  George,  292 

Rigby,   237,  238,   239 

Rigmadcn,  William,  270 

Rimpton.   Somerset.  43 

Rind,  Wm.,  306 

Rings,  134,  et  teq. 

Rippon,  Cathedral,  227;  ship,  175, 
176 

"Rising  Sun   Tavern,"   151 

Ritchie,   194,  26l 

Roads,  William,  22 

Roanoke.    91 

Roberts,  Bartholomew,  253 

Robertson  house,  56 

Robinson,    Christopher,    52,    289, 


370 


INDEX 


293,  317;  James,  lH;  Bishop 
John,  52,  317;  John,  131 ;  Mary, 
325;  Maximilian,  255;  Peter, 
293 ;  William,  293 

Rockbridge   County,   274,   340 

Rocky  Ridge,  152 

Rodes,  36,  50 

Rogers,  John,  280;  William,  317 

Rolfe,  John,  39,  41,  62,  105,  I6G, 
167;  Thomas,  62 

Rootes,  Philip,  344;  Priscilla,  144 

Roscow,  William,  l69,  170 

"  Rose  and  Crown  "  tavern,  151 

"  Rosegill,"    75,    255,    304 

"  Rose  Inn,"  Reading,  Eng.,  225 

Rose,  Rev.  Robert,  52 

"  Rosewell,"  64,  65,  73,  255,  315, 
351 

Roulston,  Lionel,  48 

Royal  James,  ship,  265 

Royal,  Joseph,  328 

Royle,  Joseph,  270 

Royle's  Free  School,  270 

Rubens,  318 

Rushworth,   298 

Russell,  John,  18;  Richard,  268 

Ruth,  sloop,  90 

"Sabine  Hall,"  68,  72,  126,  145, 

173,  281,  311 
St.  Bees  Grammar  School,  Eng., 

294 
St.   Dunstan-in-the-East,   London, 

227 
St.     Giles-in-the-Fields,     London, 

226 
St.  John's,  College,  Oxford,  293; 

church,  Hampton,  323,  324,  326; 

Richmond,   323 
St.  Luke's  Church,  London,  226 
St.   Mary's,   Bedfont,   Eng.,  227; 


parish,  Va.,  325;  White  Chapel, 

323,  326,  332 
St.  Paul's,  King  and  Queen,  324, 

Norfolk,  323 
St.  Peter's  Church,  348 
St.  Stephen's  Parish,  270 
Salford,  Robert,  45 
"  Salisbury  Park,"  345 
Salt  manufacture,  40 
Sampson,     200;    James,    78,    99; 

ALirgaret,  99 
Sandford,  John,  298 
"  Sandy  Point,"  254 
Sandys,  George,  44,  185 
Savage,  John,  289;  Thomas,  42 
Sawyer,  Thomas,  162 
Sawyers,    158 
Schnell,  Rev.  L.,  152 
Schoolmasters,  270,  271,  272,  273, 

274,  275 
Schools,  137,  201;  boarding,  271, 

272,    273;    Charles    City,    40; 

classical,  274;  free,  262,  et  seq., 

private,  270,  et  seq. 
Scotch  emigration,  51 
Scotch-Irish,   144,  340 
Scot,  Joane,  330 
Scotland,  218 
Scott,  Edward,  277;  George,  225; 

Gustavus,     294;     James,     337; 

John,  159,  188,  294 
Scrivenor,   Matthew,   26 
Sea  Venture,  ship,  32 
Sedgwick,  William,  345 
Sehutt,   301 
Seilhamer,  239,  248 
Servants,    46,    et    seq.,    I6I,    224, 

225,  278,  308,  309,  328,  329 
Sewell,  Henry,  195;  Joseph,  254 
Sewell's  Point  Church,  330 
Sharp,     Sliarpc,     176;     Nicholas, 

271 ;  Robert,  148;  Samuel,  44 


871 


INDEX 


Shenandoah    Valley,    91 
Shepperd,  Samuel,  272 
Sheraton,  90 
Sherwood,    Grace,    120;    William, 

195,346 
Shetland,    129 
Shields,   143 
"Shirley,"  65,  73,  126,  134,  180, 

209,  314 
Shirley  Hundred  Island,  332 
Shockoe,  91,  152 

Shoes,  182,  200,  et  seq.,  204,  205 
Shop  bills,  London,  218 
Shrewsbury,  Catherine,   280 
Shropshire,  St.  John,  305 
Shurley,  George,  272 
Silk-making,  40 
Silver,    83,    85,   dQ,   et   seq.,   226; 

some  of  the  "  Shirley,"  92 ;  tea- 


Somers,  Sir  George,  32,  35 
Southall,  246 
"  Southalls,"    181 
Southampton   County,   304 
Southern,  John,  43,  44 
Southey,  Anne,  43;  Elizabeth,  48; 

Henry,  43 
Southwark  Parish,   325  i 

Southwell,  Sir  Robert,  300 
Span,   John,    293;    Richard,    122; 

Mrs.  Richard,  122 
Sparke,  Michael,  296 
Spence,  William,  44 
Spencer,  Elizabetli,  171;  Frances,! 

210;  George,  171,  332;   Niche 

las,  210;  William,  45,  292 
Spicer,  Arthur,  298 
Spilman,   Henry,   43;  Sir  Hem 

43;  Thomas,  43 


caddy  of  Governor  Spotswood,      Spotsylvania    County,    129,    255J 


96 

Sims,  Tliomas,  328 

Singleton,  237,  238,  313 

Sipsey,  John,  45 

Skipwith.  50;  Sir  Peyton,  220 

Slader,  Matthew,  252 

Slaughter.  Robert,  255,  256 

Slaves,    161,    162,   308 

Smallcombe,  John,  341 

Smaller,  William,  254 

Smith,  133;  Arthur,  296;  Eliza- 
beth, 2()9;  J.  F.  Dm  256;  Cap- 
tain John,  16,  17,  18,  20,  21,  22, 
23,  25,  27,  28,  29,  31,  S3,  34,  45, 
62,  186;  Philip,  78;  Roger,  44; 
Samuel  158;  Thomas,  292 

"  Smith's  Fort,"  62,  eS;  Hundred, 
825 

Smythe,  125;  Richard,  148;  Thom- 
as,  271 

Soane.  Willinm,  148,  258 

"Society  Hill,"  71.  254 


300,  301,  302,  303 
Spotswood,  51  ;  Alexander,  71,  85J 

87,  91,  100,  108,  132,  188,  211 
231,   256,   294,   315,   318,   334| 
Mrs.  Alexander.  108;  Gen.  Akx-j 
ander,  254;  John,  74,  188,  294 

Spragg,  Eleanor,  l69 

Spratt,    Henry,   280 

"  Springdale,"  67 

Springs,  Mineral,  152,  153 

Stadley,  309 

Stafford  County,  73,  90,  100,  22.S, 
226,   271,   275,   277,   298,    300, 

301,  802,  804,  805,  317,  845 
Staffordshire,  226 

Stafford.  William,  93 

Stagg,    234;    Charles,    142,    280, 

231  ;  house,  246;  Mary,  126, 142, 

230,  231 
Staige,  Thoodosius,  336 
Stallinge.   Edward,    159 
Stnnard,     Beverlev.     277:     Eliza- 


37!2 


iM)i<:x 


beth,  81,  9i;  Lnrkin,  '277;  Wil- 
liam, 81,  i277 
Stark,  William,  269 
"  Starving  Time,"  34 
State  House,  60 
Statues,  72 
Staunton,    149,    154 
Stephens,   Richard,   159;  William, 

131 
Steptoe,  George,  293 
Stevens,  Thomas,   171,  259 
Stewart,  Charles,   148,  218 
Stith,  Elizabeth,  325,  344;  Mary, 

196;  William,  293 
Stoke,  Eng.,  226 
Stokes,  Frances,  333 
Stoodie,  Thomas,  22 
Stoney  Creek,  162 
Stores,  154,  et  seq. 
Strachey,  William,  34,  36,  37 
StraiFerton,  Peter,  44 
"Stratford,"   64,    65,   66,   67,   68, 

70,  73,  144,  147,  255,  276,  342 
Stratton,   Edward,   328 
Stuarts,  51 

Studley,  Thomas,  20,  23,  25 
Sturgis,  Daniel,  154 
Suffolk.  Eng.,  216 
Sully,  Thomas,  45,  328 
Sunday  observance,  327,  et  seq. 
Surplices,  326 
Surry  County,  62,  75,  93,  99,  257, 

302,  305,  309,  325,  326,  344 
Susan  Constant,  ship,  19 
Sussex  County,  255,  260 
Swann,  Catherine,  177;  John,  317; 

Thomas,   149 
Sweeny,  Sally,  176 
Sweete,  Robert,  44 
Swift,  Thomas,  45 
Switzerland,   136 
Swords,  155,  187,  190,  203 


Symc,  John,  251' 

Syms,    Benjamin,   266,   267;   Free 

School,  266,  2G7;  Eaton  Acad- 

dcmy,  267 

Tabb,    73;   John,    318 
Taliaferro,  John,  292;  Lawrence, 

69;  Walker,  255 
Tanner,  Joseph,  253 
Tapestry,  73 
Tappahannock,  236,  26 1 
Tapscott,  James,  293 
Tarrant,   Leonard,   300 
Tasker,  256 

Taverns,  148,  et  seq.,  182 
Tayloe,    65,    137,    184,   256,    282; 

Betty,  185;  John,  74,  122,  132, 

156,  206,  254,   318,  333;   Mrs. 

John,  208 
Taylor,  Charles,  304;  Daniel,  117, 

292;    John,    274;    Maria,    108; 

Peter,  272;  Richard,  45;  Sarah, 

193 
"Tazewell  Hall,"  67 
"Tedington,"  207,  211 
Tennant,  John,   l6l 
Terrell,  51 
"  Tempest,  The,"  32 
Tichfield,  Hampshire,  43 
Tinison,   Sarah,  349 
Tinsley,  313 

Thacker,  Chichley,  293,   237 
Thanksgiving,    331 
Theatre,  the,  181,  229,  rt  seq.,  234 
Thompson,     George,     43;     Hugh, 

303;    Maurice,    43;    Paul,    43; 

Ralph,   43;  Samuel,    17<i;   Wil- 
liam, 43 
Thornton.   122;  Francis.  71,  254; 

Peter  Presley,  255 
Thoroughgood,  Adam,  43,  4(5,  82, 

97,    105,    209,    324;    Sir    John, 


878 


INDEX 


43,   97;   Sarah,    13,    105,    106; 

Thomas,  97 
Thorpe,  George,  265,  266 
Throckmorton,     17,    49;    Kenelm, 

22;  Robert,  227 
Tobacco,    19,    40,    154,    158,    167, 

194,   213,   214,   216,   223,    297, 

328 
Todd,  73 
"  Toddsbury,"  73 
Todkill,  Anas,  25 
Tombs,  227,  290,  323,  343,  345, 

et  seq. 
Tompkins,    John,    313;    Richard, 

280 
Tories,  228 

"  Towlston,"   114,  259 
Townscnd,  Richard,  46,  47 
Toys,  205 
Trades,  276 

Transportation,   129,  et  seq. 
Travers,  Elizabeth,  171;  Raleigh, 

171 
Tree,  Ricliard.  46 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,   288, 

292,  Dublin,  274 
Trussell,  John,  47 
Tryon,  I.ady,  l63 
"  fuekahoe,"  66,  68,  70,  150,  151, 

210,  255 
Tunstall,  175;  William,  280 
Turberville,     282;     George,     135, 

350;  John,   135;  Lettice,  350 
"  Turkey  Island,"  348 
Turner,   Harry,  9i,   318;   Henry, 

281,  328;  Thomas,  281 
Turi)iii,   Philip,  293 
Tutors,  CS,  69.  274,  278,  ct  seq. 
Tutt,  Richard,  801 
Twining,  Worcestershire,  42 
Tyler.  Francis,  149;  Eyon  G.,  230, 

231,  234,  239,  311 


Underwood,  Julian,  329,  330 
"  Union   Hill,"   275 
Upp,  Frederick,  275 
Upper  Norfolk  County,  47 
Upton,  John,  45,  47 
Urbanna,  l6l,  269 
Utie,  John,   42,  44,   308 

Valley  of  Virginia,  59,  67,  91, 
92.  93,  101,  117,  124,  144,  154, 
158,  184,  202,  203,  207,  277, 
291,  305,  340,  341 

Vandyke,    190 

Varina,  139,  148,  253 

Vaux,  James,   188 

Venable,   William,   300 

Vine-growing,   40 

Virginia  and  England,  213,  et  seq.; 
presents  between,   21 6,   217 

"  Virginia  Coffee  House,"  Lon- 
don, 218,  220 

Virginia  Eastern,  92;  Western,  91, 
et  seq. 

"  Virginia  House,"  56 

Virginians,  characterized  by  Bur- 
naby  and  Gordon,  l63,  et  seq.; 
in  England,  213,  et  seq. 

"  Virginia  Walk,"  London,  218 

Vi-Valley,  311 

Vobe,  236 

Wackinston,  51 

Waddell,  305;  James,  339;  J-  A., 
91,  92 

Wade,  Thomas.  269 

Wainman,  Sir  Ferdinando,  35 

Wakefield  School,  Yorkshire.  291, 
294 

Waldo.  Ralph,  27 

Wales,  220 

Walker,  217,  242,  243,  244;  Ed- 
ward,  266;    George,   22;    John. 


374 


INDEX 


-^ 


172,  17^,  ii'^t),  i.'()S);  Peter,  79, 
81,  103,  isy;  Richard,  226; 
Thomas,  152,  173,  226;  William, 
301 

Wallace,  Gustavus  Brown,   183 

Waller,  17;  John,  303 

Wallpaper,  7-i 

Walpole,  Horatio,  210 

Walthoe,  Nathaniel*   255 

Walton,   Joseph,   92;    Hertford- 
shire, 43 

Ward,  William,   274 

Warden,  John,  279 

Warder,   Robert,  330 

Ware  Church,  327 

Warm  Springs,    152 

Warner,  65 ;  Augustine,  287,  326 
\  "Warner  Hall,"  65,   173,  315 
*  Warnett,  Thomas,   155,  189,  192 

Warnock,  John,  300 

Warren,  Henry,  3l6;  Thomas,  62, 
63 

Warrington,  239;  Camilla,  240 

Warwick  County,  98 

Warwicksqueake,  225 

Washington,  286;  Augustine,  294, 
303;  Catherine,  349;  Elizabeth, 
349;  George,  59,  74,  87,  91,  135, 
143,  153,  177,  178,  180,  200, 
204,  211,  212,  215,  218,  246, 
247,  255,  257,  272,  294,  315, 
318,  325;  Jenny,  191,  193,  310; 
John,  298,  325,  349,  351  ;  Law- 
rence, 294,  325,  344;  Martha, 
200,  214,  303;  Mary,  200;  Par- 
ish, 325 

Watches,  90,  204,  210,  211.  212 

W^aters,  Edward,  42;  John,  280 

Watkinson,  Cornelius,  229 

Watson,  Ralph,  303 

Waugh,    John,    305 

Webb,  Stephen,  48 


Wehliii^,  W'essell,  48;  Nicholas,  48 

Weddcrburn,  51,  218 

Wclford,  Gloucestershire,  227 

Werowocomico,  29 

West,  50;  I'rancis,  17,  43,  335; 
John,  42,  43;  Indies,  165 

Westmoreland  County,  68,  86,  90, 
98,  132,  135,  144,  147,  152,  215, 
225,  226,  277,  288,  290,  298, 
299,  302,  303,  305,  317,  319, 
325,  333,  342,  345 

"Westover,"  64,  67,  70,  74,  80, 
101,  102,  108,  120,  121,  149, 
221,  232,  254,  290,  297,  304, 
348,  351;  Church,  343 

Wetherburn,  Henry,  151 

Wetherold,  Thomas,  217 

Whaley,  Mary,  269 ;  Mattliew,  269 

Whitaker,  Walter,  188 

"  \Miitby,"  255 

White,  Alexander,  293;  William, 
171 

Whitefield,  339 

Whittington,  William,  268 

"  Wickocomico  Hall,"   84,  85 

Wigs,   190,   191,  205 

Wilberforce,  William,  290 

Wilcox,  John,   44 

Wilkins,  John,  42 

Wilks,  Wilkes,  John,  223 ;  Thomas, 
171 

Willes,  W^illiam,  157 

Willett,    Martha,    280 

William  and  Mary  College,  70, 
141,  143,  169,  180,  201,  213, 
230,  232,  233,  263,  264,  283,  et 
seq.,  305,  311,  313,  319 

William  and  Mary  (King  and 
Queen),  138,  139,  192 

Williamsburg,  60,  64,  67,  71,  73, 
74,  85,  86,  87,  88,  89,  90,  91, 
106,    112,    120,    121,    126,    130, 


375 


INDEX 


133,  136,  138,  139,  142,  143, 
148,  149,  151,  153,  157,  l6l, 
1G3,  180,  181,  191,  199,  193, 
196,  198,  201,  211,  215,  219, 
224,  227,  231,  230,  232,  234, 
235,  237,  242,  245,  246,  247, 
249,  250,  256,  259,  270,  302, 
306,  311,  312,  313,  315,  318, 
319,  323,  3i6 

Williams,  Charles  Hanbury,  221 ; 
Hanbury,  220;  Hannah,  347; 
Rachel,  349 ;  Thomas,  349 

Willis,  John,  255 

"Will's   Club,"   222 

Willoughby,  Henr_v,  50 ;  Lords,  50 ; 
Sarah,  198,  297;  Thomas,  42, 
41.,  75,  287 

"  Wilton,"   181,  255 

Winchester,  59;  School,  Eng.,  294; 
Marquis  of,  43 

Wingfield,  Edward,  17,  21,  295 

"Windsor,"  319 

Winston,  William  O.,  255 

Wise,  J.  C,  230 

Witchcraft,    340 

Wollaston,  315 

Womock,   Abraham,   253 

Wood,  Abraham,  47,  48 

Woodbridge,  John,  86 

Wood  End  Grammar  School,  Scot- 
land, 294 

Woodford,  116,  126 

Woods,  Michael,  158;  Samuel, 
158 

Woodson,   John,   42 

Woodward,  Samuel,  47 

Worcester,    43 


Wormeley,  122;  Christopher,  171 
343;  Elizabeth,  79;  Frances 
343;  John,  288;  Margaret,  343 
Ralph,  75,  90,  119,  185,  228 
255,  276,  288,  292,  293,  294 
301,  304,  326 

Wortham,  Charles,  299 

Wotton,   Dr.   Thomas,  20 

Wrestling,  258 

Wyard,  Samuel,  330 

Wyatt,    50,   51;   Sir    Dudley.    50; 
Sir  Francis,  42,  194 

Wyntll,  237 

Wynne,  Peter,  27 

Yapp,  242,  243 

Yarmouth,  Eng.,  224 

Yates,     Bartholomew,     276,     293, 

337;  Mrs.,  219;  Robert,  293 
Yeardley,       Francis,       209;       Sir 

George,    43,    97;    Sarah,    208, 

209;  Lady  Temperance,  97 
Yco,  Leonard,  226 
York,  County,  Cl,  81,  82,  90,  107, 

176,   190,   227,   252,  260,   269. 

271,  275,  276,  297,   805,   3l6, 

328,    336,    345;    River,    29,   64, 

9^.  118,  127 
Yorkshire,  226,  294 
Yorktown,  71,  73,  ISO,   132,   133, 

134.    191,    205,   236,    260.    269, 

276,  304,  313,  317,  351 ;  Church, 

326 
Young,  William,  188 

Zinnrrman.  Christopher,  125 
Zouch,  Sir  John.  50 


J 


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